Any motorcycle sold in California has different emission controls from the other 48 states ( or 49, whatever) - in the US, they refer to all the other bikes as '48 state' bikes, which means that they are much the same as the ones you and I get here in Oz. Not like the Californian models at all.
The Californian model ZX12R for example, had a charcoal canister in the underseat area !! as part of the emissions controls.
Those 'block-off' plates replace the standard reed-valve outlets which are located in the exhaust side of the cam cover. Don't know exactly how these work, but I believe they allow a one-way flow of engine vapours (which may or may not have some form of oil mist in it), up through the reed-valves and back into the emission system.
Its as ugly as a hatful of arseholes, and the yanks have been doing emission control valves like this on road bikes for decades - back as far as the KZ1000J of 1980 !
Its not really much of a horsepower advantage on the street, but for racing its pretty much a standard performance modification over there.
A lot of current kawasaki models have the KLEEN system fitted from stock, this is probably Kawasaki's version of the same thing that Honda use, or a variation on the theme.
