Carb short fat tubes
 

What are the 2 short tubes that connect the carbs to the airbox for?

Can they be removed?

Short one in front, and longer one in back both held by 4 screws?

If those are what you are talking about, they direct airflow into the carbs. Basically they are velocity stacks. Without them air would not flow as efficiently into the carbs and you would lose performance.

No the ones that connect to the outside of the bottom of the airbox.
They are on swivle mounts

I believe they draw filtered crackcase oil blow-by vapor into the carbs to be burned and thus reduce emissions. Do not plug or remove these tubes/connections, they have no detrimental effect on performance. The crankcase breather tubes from each valve cover vent into the airbox through the sub air filters, which also must be cleaned and reused. Wipe excess oil from the bottom of the airbox and gently brush & blow clean the main air filter. The main filter can also be gently washed and rinsed clean (but not soaked) with Dawn type grease cutting dish detergent and H2O, and air dryed.

skokievtr is right. If you disconnect those pcv tubes, you will have oil everywhere. If you plug the pcv outlets from the engine, you will build up crankcase pressure and blow out oil seals. The positive crankcase ventilation system does just what it says. No performance loss.

These are not the PCV vent tubes (already have a plan for those)

Okay, then I'm stumped since I don't have my air box off right now.

Just looked in my manual. They could be vents for the carb diaphragms. Seem kind of large for that function though.

He was talking about the carb intake vent tubes & joint sets, which are items #21 & 5 in this link, not the PCV tubes & other airbox components. http://fiche.ronayers.com/Index.cfm/...ARBURETOR_ASSY

From what I can tell the ones on the swivels are the PVC vent tubes..

http://fiche.ronayers.com/Index.cfm/...up/AIR_CLEANER

The ones not on the swivels are for PAIR
http://fiche.ronayers.com/Index.cfm/..._SUCTION_VALVE

Although I could be misreading that, I don't have my bike apart either.

Yes that is what I am talking about.

Never mind. I remember where the float vents are.

As VTRsurfer said, they're vents for the carb diaphragms. If you take off the air box lid and remove the air filter, you'll see two roughly triangular boxes at the front and the back of the air box base. There are little foam filters in the boxes. The carb diaphragms displace air as they lift and lower the carb slides. Air is drawn in or pushed through the little foam filters as the slides move.
The crancase vents from the cylinder head covers directly into the air box.