I think the plug is a light tan.

 

The spark plug tells you what's going in your engine. Sounds like it's burning as it should and I wouldn't worry about it. When the plugs starts getting dark black or oily looking, it's time to look into what's wrong.

 

My recon has exactly the same problems as yours, the smoke, the rattling, and the slipping !!! 2001 model aswell, must be time for some tlc.

 

Not exactly. A dry plug can also mean that the combustion mixture is lean, which will damage the engine significantly more than if the plug is black or oily. Running rich can be beneficial to an engine because it is the mixture that helps to cool the engine. Running lean means that the engine will be running hotter than it should which in turn means that the engine will be subject to more wear and tear than it should be. It all depends on the color of the plug though. I would try a new spark plug...you also might be running a little lean in your mixture. At what altitude do you run your bike Southernmudslinger? I am assuming that it is within the limits of the factory due to your username, but someone (previous owner) may have jetted the carb incorrectly.

 

The topic of this discussion is reffering to his Recon smoking, not jetting or mixture. My reply refers to determining how bad his problem may be and a way to make that determination is check the plugs for oil fouling.

Jetting has nothing to do with his Recon producing white smoke. White smoke is oil. Black smoke is a rich mixture.