Oh yes I love the air intakes, I think it would look bare without them. From my experience the front end is a bit marmite - some love it and others don't! Personally I love it - I was originally looking at bandits and hornets but the styling on the S4 is miles ahead of the Japanese naked bikes.
Hi SFT,completely agree with you on your comparison of the Triumph versus 'equivalent' Japanese models - they are just so bland. And those intake tubes are there for a purpose, not just to look good. They are part of a design that gives the engine very good torque 'for a 600' at low rpms.
I had a Pan for a short time and a Hornet for many years bought both new good value for money and gave me zero problems in owning them, but yes do like my bike and the Triumph bike range, fly the flag.