fatcracker76

if you still have stock jetting you might be o.k. i bought my banshee new in utah, the dealer "rejetted for high altitude" i think they put 280's in. i put on fatty's, rem'd air box and installed k+n pods, and put on a timing plate set to +4 degrees. when i was done with all that i was still a little rich. when i went to dumont with that setup i would go up 2 sizes on the main and it runs like a top. the point is that factory jetting is fat as hell, and just pipes should not take you dangerously lean. put the parts on, do a plug chop, and adjust as required.

razor should work plenty fast, just be carefull not to gouge the metal with it too bad. once i get the big chunks off, i usualy hold the razor at a 90 degree angle to the cylinder and you can rub it back and forth quickly and it will remove the gasket pretty quick.

i'm not sure....what possibly could a "chain guide" do? hmmm...could it possibly guide the chain?!! "is it necessary?" only if you want a little extra insurace to keep your chain on your sprocket and out of your cases. let me know if you need that explained since "chain guide" was so hard to figure out.

you missed the most important part. who cares what it sounds like! bikes and suspension will make noise. but you were watching a video, what does it look like is happening? are the wheels almost touching the fenders? if not then you are not bottoming out. and the biggest thing of all, what does it feel like? if you don't feel a harsh impact at the end of the shocks stroke then it's fine. ideally you want to use as much of your suspension travel as possible for the style of riding you do. think about it, if you have 9 inches of travel and only ever use 2 inches, then you are wasting 7 inches that could be smoothing out your ride. it's ok to bottom on jumps that are larger than you normally hit or if they have flat landings.

a failing cdi also acts the same when it heats up. next time it acts up try pouring water on your cdi and see if it's better, if so r2 cdi.