I removed my snorkle after about 3 months of having the bike. Coming up on about a year without it. It did make a difference, and I am happy with it. Since I removed it, never realising that this might be related, every once in a while my bike would act like it was running out of gas on the freeway, wich is elevated and open on both sides. Thought it might be a jet problem, electric problem, all kinds of problems, but I could never reproduce it on demand and it was so few and far between and the symptoms so mild I just ignored it. about two weeks ago, it happened a little more severe than I could remember it, so the next night I rode the bike for miles trying to reproduce it, thinking it might be temp related, nothing. Rode to work tonight, winds (VERY rare in Baton Rouge) were out of character and gusting to 40 knots or more. Every time that wind gusted, bike did it without fail. On the way home, winds were less and at my back for the first half of the ride, but when they became a crosswind, BAM! same problem. Thinking back, I realized that it was only doing it as I passed Semi's and such giving me a good, turbulant blast. Sounds crazy, but I think that strong winds are causing turbulace in my airbox stronger than the pull of the motor. Anyone else out there had anything similar? The snorkel would smooth any air coming in so it would stop this. Anyway, never going back, always forward so it's time to lose the airbox!!!