What is this box on TE449?

Hi everyone,
I'm a new Husky owner, bought my 2013 TE449 with 750 miles on it. Can anyone tell me what this "box" is for? I don't see it on any other pictures posted of this bike online. I thought it was for the oil in the air box issue, but it's not connected to that. The hose coming out of the top runs around the bike to the back and connects to the gas tank filler stem. There is a hose coming out of the bottom of the box that drains to the street. Do I need it? Thanks.

It's for vapor recovery- it's a charcoal canister that holds gas fumes/liquid venting from the tank(s). they eventually get sucked back into the engine to be burned. there is no performance loss, but it's basically a bag bolted to the side of your bike- fugly.

Gasoline vapors in the lower atmosphere supposedly cause ozone (I don't understand the photo-chemistry behind the theory, so I'm somewhat skeptical). I'm not even totally convinced that ozone is that big of a deal in the lower atmosphere, either, but... Anyhoooo, environmental agencies have been regulating gasoline vapor from cars forever (ok, 30+years); and just starting getting serious about motorcycles in the last 10.... 'cept for a flurry of vacuum actuated petcocks starting in the early '80s, IIRC (gas vapors are released out of carb vents constantly when full- shut your petcock off when you're not riding and avoid the "gummed-up" carb syndrome).

It's big, slightly heavy, ugly, and the purported benefits are not that great. Remove it (and keep it). there's a 1-way valve somewhere in there; get rid of it too. make sure your vent line goes at least a bit higher than the filler cap somewhere in its run.

good luck.

Thanks guys, that's very helpful.

oh yeah... definitely. I'm assuming you're talking about the vacuum port on the intake manifold, right? to the OP: if none of this is making sense to you, search for a thread on what to do.

There pretty much pointless. You can't put a nozzle from the gas station in and fill it up without the making the the shut off device inside the handle trip. Rip it off and don't look back.