@readparse

Squeezing the plastic extrusion in your filter box with vise grips is likely the only way that you're going to stop the internal nut from spinning.
Then after you succeed in removing the screw, you still are faced with the problem of any future normal use of that screw. Maybe superglue or some form of thread lock around the thread insert would keep it from spinning.

Hehehehehe hehehehehe he said internal nit...

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Ah, it's "vise grips," not "vice grips." Yes, that makes sense.

Yeah, I can probably figure out some way to make it usable, once I get the ear back on. I have a feeling it's going to be very short term, since I also assume I'll be doing the ear shave relatively soon.

I know I have some vise grips somewhere. I'll find them, or give up and buy another set.

The tape was a very short term solution, just while I have the ear off. I've been trying to think of some little clamp that I have, which is strong enough to hold it, but shaped properly to secure the hose while not squeezing it too much.

As far as the direction of it, my vent hose doesn't seem to have trouble pointing backwards, so it's pointing backwards under the tank. I like your zip tie idea, though, and I actually have some new zip ties that I haven't used yet. I don't know why I didn't think of that.

That procedure is actually in the manual, though I didn't know it at the time.

UNI PK92 is a good alternative air filter - about $30 for two. Have them on my bike. Looks like the chrome caps are back also, but you have to hunt for them. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...&_odkw=trx350d

Most of the auto parts chains have good crankcase filters on the wall with the race car stuff, about $10.

So what was it? Last night I had some serious RPM jerking, in multiple gears. I haven't run out of gas on a motorcycle, but I've done it in a car, and this sort of sounded like an engine about to run out of gas.

I pulled over, searched the forum, was reminded of the carb vent hose thing, and checked that. Along the way, I also saw something about the gas tank, so for the heck of it I opened up the tank, looked at the bottom of the cap, and then closed it back up. I got back on the road and it was fine.

This morning I had a similar issue, which felt like POGS. (or POOGS, if you guys insist) I pulled over and cracked open the gas cap, and rode like that for about half of my ride. It was great (though it smelled a little rich, if you know what I mean). Then, at a light, I slammed shut the gas cap and it was fine for the rest of the ride.

I remain confused about this problem. When my bike is running great, it's fantastic. But it's weird having to guess what to fiddle with when I find that my ride is being ruined by a little issue like this. When that thing started happening last night, I nearly gave up and came home. But once I "fixed" it, I didn't want to come home.

Hehehehehe hehehehehe he said rpm jerking.

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Wow, talk about the right tool for the job! I sucked it up and bought some new vise grips (but don't worry about my old ones. I found them not five minutes after opening the new ones, as I was looking for something else. Of course!). Anyway, for the new ones, I chose the super narrow "long reach" ones. I was busy working on something else (engine guard installation, which I'll post about if I can ever edit that post down to something reasonable), so I didn't bother with the air filter issue until today.

But anyway, wow! The vise grip solution was perfect. It came out effortlessly.

Actually that part wasn't so bad. It turns out the screws were fine, and so were the nuts. Because the end of the extrusions were ripped open a little by the time all was said and done, I was able to see what's going on in there. The nuts are acorn nuts (the ones with a dome). The extrusion is in two parts. There's the part that you can see come to an end if you look on the back of the case. That ends with a little concave shape, which receives the dome of the acorn nut. Then the nut just sits there inside the other little piece of the extrusion, which seems to be glued (or something) to the other piece.

So, rather than being stripped, I think that little rubber (or whatever... we'll call it rubber) area that holds the acorn nut eventually just lost its grip on the nut. If that happens, then it can spin freely inside there.

Once I had everything disassembled, I tested the screws in each acorn nut, and the threading was fine, as long as the nut could hold still. One of them seemed to still be securing the nut fairly well, and the other one one's end piece was almost entirely severed off. So I first tried Gorilla Glue, but then eventually just used electrical tape, because there's not much load on this screw. I taped around the seam a bit, and the top part seemed to be holding onto the nut fairly well.

So I put everything together and now I'm fully eared I know that's a disappointment to many of you. but I promise I'll do the ear shave one of these days. I just honestly didn't want to spend the time or money right now. Especially because I need a front tire pretty badly. So I ordered it and I'll have it by Wednesday, and I'll give changing my front tire a second try (long story on the first try).

Thanks again for the help on this, and sorry it took so long to resolve.