Uh, it might be going a little bit far to say using the stock air box is asinine, especially in case that's not causing the pinging. On my previous bike, a 2002 EG Classic, I had the Stage I done to it and it would ping under a load fairly hard on a hot day even if you down-shifted to get the rpm's up. The SEEG, on the other hand, with the same modifications, has never pinged one time that I'm aware of, so maybe some bikes are more prone to this that others. GTX, you specifically mention the 2,000 rpm mark. That's lugging the motor plain and simple. If that the range where you're experiencing the problem, try shifting down a gear and see what happens.
I talked with the service manager at my dealer a few differnt times about this on my '02. He said not to worry as long as it was not a constant ping. I agree, pinging is not a "good" thing, but if it is intermittent and the electronics are taking care of it once it starts, it may not be worth persuing.