I too have cut away the box to end up with a "frame", mostly for maintenance access ( all 4 clips of the lid are now clearly visible, and I now have better access to right-topside valve adjustments and Koni shock adjustments.
Um...Lucky you... I can't be quite so cavalier in saying that for only $175, "why bother" doing something else?? Ahhh... 5 minutes with a Dremel got me the same thing. I guess it depends how easy the $ comes in, eh ?
---Wil Ferch