[samato]

I blew air from the outside of the filter, around the entire filter. I don't think it makes sense to "blow them out" either, for the same reasons you mentioned, but since the manual says to do it...

I only tried it because I think my gas mileage is not as good as it should be (55 MPG) and I thought cleaning the air filter might help. I realize there are many other factors involved in gas mileage so maybe my air filter is fine. My riding style probably has a lot more to do with my MPG than the filter.