07' DR-Z400E
 

I have a new 2007 DR-Z400E and love the bike. I want to make some changes to make it look more like a race bike and not a trail bike. I am removing the front headlight and replacing the front plate with a regular plate. I am also removing the rear light. My question is, I want to remove the black shock dust covers. A guy at the local shop said that would be a bad idea because it will get real dusty/dirty and could blow the seals. Do the race bikes use a different type of seal since there is not a rubber cover over the forks?