TOPIC:

that I should just get rid of it.

What exactly does this thing do? What's inside of it?

Can I clean it up? There seems to be a lot of gunk in it.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

If i'm not mistaken, it's a valve that directs the clean air from your reed valves back to your air box to be recycled.
There's a spring and diaphragm that opens and close to prevent too much air from going thru. (Now i'm pulling things out of my @$$)

In the top (left side in the pic) is a vacuum operated valve. A small hose connects that small hose barb to a similar one on one of the carburetors. At the opposite end a hose connects the valve to the air box. The other two hose barbs are connected by hoses to the reed valve assemblies in the cam cover.
When vacuum is high (at idle or at higher rpm when the throttle is suddenly closed) the air valve is closed so that no air flows through the larger hoses. When vacuum is lower (during acceleration for example) the valve opens, allowing filtered air from the air box to be drawn through the valve and the reed boxes and finally through small ports ti the exhaust ports. This exta air ignights any unburned fuel before it exits the exhaust system. It is a fairly effective way to reduce certain pollutants without robbing horsepower.
As faras I know, there is no downside to having the system on the bike, other than esthetics.
Ivenever opened one, but I'd bet there is a rubber or vinyl diaphragm connected to a brass valve in it.

If it is bad you can still get them from Partzilla, I think.

Thanks everyone. I took it off today to put on two new tubes that run to the engine. I was wondering if it would be okay to soak it in something to clean out the gunk. These are about $100 on Partzilla which is where i got the tubes.

Will it hold vacuum? I don't know how else you would check them.

I tried plugging all of the hole but one or two and blowing in but no dice. I cant get any air to move through the small tube that goes to the carb.

After some cleaning.

i had this system on my bike i completely removed all of it and plugged all the holes ,but i live in united kingdom so don't need to have it on legally ,put some nice ape billet covers on cylinder head .

bl_francis wrote: I tried plugging all of the hole but one or two and blowing in but no dice. I cant get any air to move through the small tube that goes to the carb.

You are probably fine then. As long as the small nipple that goes to the carbs will hold a vacuum.