I have finally assembled everything today and rode it a bit on the driveway. The response to the throttle is good. No lag or hesitation.
Not until I received the new parts has I realized how shot all the rubber was. The new airbox gasket is puffy and seals the box well. The old breather tube was barely staying put, the new one was hard to slide on but it stays solid.
I suspect that breather tube alone was a huge leak
My new fuel filter routing did not go well , the hose tends to kink. I will have to add a 90degre elbow.
Next stop is the synchronization and mixture screw tuning.