after i posed the question about the vent lines i moved them back to their stock location, though it made no difference. the reeds look great, power valves are clean and rotate easily. i need to check the flywheel key still. i can see clean through my silencer, but am unsure of the packing's condition, or how it would affect exhaust flow. but it is not obstructing it.
on a side note i welded my broken upper pipe mount right before all this happened. but i took all of the electronics off the bike first, so i don't think that it is related unless i have a bad connection now that it is back together.
i want to thank you all for all of your input. there is so much experience here on this site. i check several times a day from my phone and am posting from it now. thanks again and pray it isn't my main seal. ugh!