Air filter replacement

[Keppelj]

I pulled the old filter and found it fairly clean but dented at the upper opening as if it had't seated properly. I have undone the right hand tank brace and lifted the tank as far as it goes easily which is much less than the Haynes photos of this procedure shows. I also can't get the upper cover fitted so that the lip drops into the filter. Can this really be done, as Haynes describes, without pulling the tank? I've lightly greased the lower and upper mating surfaces.

[CycleRob]

Keppelj,
The air cleaner lid needs to be lifted quite high -and- be in proper alignment with the rear sealing wall inserted where it belongs before the 2 rear tabs go into their slots. The problem is made worse by the surplus length of those 2 air box lid tabs, which many savvy riders shorten to make the air filter servicing easier. Here's how:
1--With the lid properly installed (without the filter, for easier handling) use a knife to scribe closely to the air box, marking the top of the tabs where the protruding excess tabbage can be sawed off.
2--Remove lid, put it in a vise and saw off the excess -LEAVING THE SCRIBED LINE- then smooth off rough edges with a file.
3--Now it will be easier to hook the rear ridge into place, insert the tabs and tilt the lid down on the cleaned/new air filter.

Anytime the air box lid is tough to push down into place, the air filter is not properly positioned. That means there will be a big leak of dirty air not going thru the filter.

[Keppelj]

Rob, thanks for your very clear advice. I understand your scribing description though on mine, tight as it is, maybe I can get a needle back there under the rear lip to scratch mark the tabs. You don't say whether you've pulled the tank though it sounds like you might have. It looks like the left corner of the lid has chaffed through some of the (black) insulation of the positive cable coming down from the battery so I see white underneath.

[Keppelj]

Probably I'm the only guy who didn't know this but I found that the problem is that the front of the box (toward the battery) needs to be forced forward a bit for the lid to drop down at the rear. I tried closing the lid with the filter out and the lid only closed down around the rear edge when I levered it forward from the back edge. Did the same thing with the new filter in place and the lid dropped right down and around all 4 edges.

[peels]

^ had trouble for the first time this year. felt like a kid ramming the square peg in the round hole lol

I think it was because Ive never taken my air filter out while the tank was still on....i usually do all that together.

got it though, a little manhandlin' and some choice language.

[sykospain]

There was a heavily-modified 2004 GSA in my local mecahnic's garage the other day. The guy clearly had money to spend - Akrapovič end can, special seating, different bars, and the OEM airbox dispensed-with in favour of a stainless-steel mesh K&N cone on the end of each throttle intake 
He'd then put the much smaller LiOn battery where the airbox had been. Lift the seat and there it is, just like on a sensible bike design.