I love my long slash cut TORS, and they only get better with age, too.
As for airbox modification - I don't know how much you ride, or how you feel about riding in the rain, but stock, as is, I know the bike to be fairly reliable and wet-road ready. Eliminating the airbox to install pods, you might be sacrificing some reliability if you should ever get caught out in heavy rain.
My two cents....
