With my experience with fiddy carbs, this definitely is the best route. I started out with a chinese carb that's a piece of shit, then to a KLX110 carb that doesn't fit right, then to a 1970s keihin off ebay, and finally just bought a new keihin that works.

Sorry man, I didn't get a chance to look at this last night at home. You already know it, but the clip on the needle was definitely the problem. Good luck with the new stuff.