At the moment I have a spacer on mine.......however what I have is a stud with a nut on the bottom so that I I can remove it when I want to.
I should take it off and shorten it so that it doesn't stick up like ti does - it has not been a priority for me as my tanks sits so low that you can't see this stud when the tank is on.
The only way to get this off without removing the head cover, would be to cut off the head of the bolt with a hacksaw blade. You will not be able to remove it is any portion of the stud remains attached to the bolt hex head.
I think that it is important to have a working bolt in that location, as it holds the left front corner of the cylinder head cover and keeps the seal intact (and the oil inside the engine).