thanks all for the helpful and appreciated feedback
fyi- the crank seals were/are in excellent condition but I replaced them anyway as new seals come along with the complete gasket kit. Engine runs great with the parts engine stator, starts first pull every time!.
Sled still running very well and fun to ride! Seems to be a bit sluggish when throttling up to about 1/2 throttle from a steady 1/4 throttle. Checked the BR10ES plugs on occasion and they always are slightly on the black side instead of the brownish color we all desire. Installed a set of BR8ES just to experiment and I get better throttle response (still not as good as I think it should be) and much sweeter plug burn. I know that an 8 is a hotter plug than the 10 so I will keep a close eye on this. That aside, one thing I haven't checked yet is the timing - perhaps this may be an issue? I always run premium fuel about 45:1 mix ratio and presently using Klotz oil. I'm running everything stock and the air box is installed.
Oh yeah, almost forgot! My tach just died all of a sudden. I checked the 0.1 A fuse which reads 75 ohms. All wiring seems intact. Any ideas as to what my issue may be here?