Damn.. sounds like I may be chasing my tail now... Is there another carb solution if I decide to go new? To try and eliminate the wear (slide, etc) I may go with a new carb. What would you recommend? Ive read on the Lectron and got mixed reviews... I have a good understanding of the Mikuni TMs now. I put a Keihin on my wife's blaster and have great results with jetting.
The things I mentioned above are where I find about 90% of the problems with carburetors. Do not omit any of the above steps.
A worn slide of slide channel will not cause the carb to have the running symptoms that you described. A new carburetor that is not jetted correctly will or may have the same problem with your old carb!