Ok... I am sure I'll get alot of feedback here which is great. I am not an expert at these machines but I have been working of them for quite a few years and these are fantastic machines if they are kept serviced. I have compiled a "small" list of problems that occur quite frequently and are very missunderstood by some in the 2-stroke field. Anyway, If you dissagree or have a better solution feel free to e-mail me. I am not opposed to better solutions. Just trying to save some from giving up due to poor of missguided info.

1) CRANKCASE FRACTURES. This is one of the biggies: There is a weight limit on these machines for a reason. Suzuki did not make these bikes with a swingarm so the engine cases themselves take fhe full force of the shock when someone jumps hard, pulls them out of the back of a pickup and lets them drop to the ground ect. You can usually tell when your engine cases are cracked. The easiest is to take hold of the rear grab bar near the flag holder and try to sway the bike side to side. If there is quite a bit of play go the the next step which is to look on the right side of the bike (if you were sitting on it). look around the vent hose going from the fan cover to the crank case. This is one of the most vulnerable cracking areas. All the way up to the serial number. These cracks can be repaired depending on the extent of the damage. One way to prevent undue cracking is to monitor the bolts on the clutch cover as well as making sure the skid plate is still atached.

2)FUEL PETCOCK. Everybody has been told at one time or another that their petcock is bad if they have fuel sitting in a puddle under their bike. PROBABLY WRONG. Yes, I too wish there was an "off" setting. But even machines with the off setting still does not solve the problem of the puddling under the bike. The most likely cause is the float needle in the carb. Now, There is a problem with the fuel petcock and that is that there is two tubes that go up into the tank (1 is your primary fuel source and the shorther is the reserve) They both had a filter attatched to them from the factory. Those small filters are prone to falling off rather quickly due to vibration, hard riding etc. once they fall off it is a metter of time before a small peice of sand, dirt, plastic etc. will go through directly into the carb and prevent the float needle from seating causing fuel to run directly into the crankcase and exhaust pipe leaking out from the exhaust pipe seal. Which leads me into the next issue. But first...instead of swapping petcocks (around $75 OEM) try installing a small inline fuel filter ($5) as well as an inline fuel shut-off (again, $5 both can be purchased at any auto parts store)
3) DEAD BATTERY VS. FLOODED CRANK CASE. If you see fuel puddled under the machine and think that if I try to start it it will clear itself out....Yes, but will need further work done prior to doing so. When you try to start the bike and the starter feels like it just doesn't want to crank the motor over...STOP. Chances are your battery is fine and your crankcase is fuel locked. These starters cannot take too much cranking without burning them up. You do not want to buy an OEM starter either. Instead, Pull the spark plug, place a dry rag over the plug hole then use the starter to ventilate the crankcase. I ussually only us the starter for about 5-8 seconds before letting it cool down. This should be used during normal conditons as well. Ussually if your bike does not start withing the first few revolutions there is some other problem.
4) YES, THERE IS AN AIR FILTER!!!! It is located just above the snorkel that connects to the carb and is just under the fuel tank. (big black round thing). there are 2 small phillips screws one on either side. Remove these screws and pull the bottom of the filter housing aside to expose the filter.
5) YES, THERE IS OIL THAT NEEDS TO BE CHECKED OR REPLACED. Just because it is a 2 stroke and has a clutches doesn't mean it doesn't need oil. There is a gearbox where the front sprocket pokes out through the crankcase. At the top of the gearbox is a bolt. This is where the oil needs to be put in. On the bottom is the drain and on the right side just in front of the sprocket is a bolt that when removed and you begin to add oil will spill out this side bolt hole letting you know when it is full. I use 10w-40.
6) FRONT CLUTCH ADJUSTMENTS.. I have seen very little in the way of modifications that will give anyone so much top or bottom end they will just walk away from their opponent. IMO....leave it alone. aside from the basics, ie; routine service, replacing worn rollers, roller mating surfaces, seals, fixed faces etc. you may try removing some rollers but as far as that being one of the first mods.....probably not IMO. You will not see ANY increase in top end by removing rollers. This is a final phase in performance mods and yes, You will get a small increase in bottom end but again, very small noticeabilty.
7)REAR CLUTCH ADJUSTMENTS.. IMO This is where you get the biggest bang for the buck. By lightening the rear clutch shoes you will increase your bottom end significantly. My only suggestion here is this. I have seen many a clutches come in for repair when the person trying to lighten them did not realize the large nut holding the assembly together did not know that it is a "left" hand nut and will ruin the fixed face assembly as soon as you put an impact on it and try to loosten it in the wrong direction. Also, When drilling the additoinal weight from the shoes, Do NOT try and drill through the hole that is already in place. If you liik hard at the existing hole you will notice it is larger on one side and smaller on the other. This hole has a lip under the small side. This is where the spring atatches. once drilled, The spring will either come right off or not have the correct tention once reinstalled.
8) PLASTIC "STUFF" REMOVAL. While most people will tell you to remove all that extra weight and let the air filter "breathe" You will be doing more harm the good. By removing the airbox and duct work around the cylinder you are basically letting the bike get hotter rather than raising its performance. These machines do not travel fast enough to air cool themselves so they require a fan to help cool them down. By removing the duct work you are not allowing the cool air to travel around the cylinder as well as around and into the clutch housing. You will know if you bike is getting hot when it runs fine for about 15 minutes then just bogs down and shuts off. after about another 15 minutes it runs fine and again, and again, and again.

AGAIN, These are some of the basics I come accross daily. Some of these may sound redundant or common sence. However, I would not be writing this lengthy column had I not seen these first hand.

For those of you who ride in the sand.....Stock gearing, stock carb, stock pipe, modded rear clutch....You'll do just fine.