I know from experience that the one on the 998 is a little longer than the 916/996 one but they all work just as well as the other. Maybe they were worried about the older one's slipping out, dunno, but mine broke at the weld and I (well PeteB actually!) found the sticky out bit still embedded tightly in the mounting grommet in the front of the airbox. As you say, a recipe for disaster, and one that has happened more than "rarely" by the sound of it too
