Purpose of cleats on bottom of controls?

[Gumby 1100_imp]

There are cleats on the bottom of both controls. Anyone know the purpose? I think I'm going to shave them down for a little more clearance on the bars. The ultra low bars make contact with the tank on really tight turns.

My guess is that they are shrouds around the drain ports which allow water out (because water in electrical controls is a bad thing) but make it harder for water to be driven into the ports (at least from the bottom and front).

If you grind them down, it might allow more water to get in when washing or driving in the rain. The tiny shrouds all point backwards, which may help to draw any moisture out of the controls or promote air flow to keep the contacts dry.