You're pretty much running the exact set up that I have been considering,.......excpept I haven't researched the crank yet - and benji at treats suggested the techno circuit pipe for my applications.
Unfortunately,...I don't know how to weld (nor do I have the gear), so rear shock upgrades are the only realistic options I have in regards to beefing up my suspension - and apparently my options aren't very good there either.
As far as your jetting problem,.....it's interesting to me. My grande is currently stock (except for a new malossi multivar variator - but I may just drill out my weights on my original variator and sell the malossi, because it hasn't impressed me so far). With my stock variator and stock set up, I get a great top end performance - but horrible low end (I need to peddle for quickness, to get going in most intersections). I am not educated enough to recognize the sound of 4 stroking, but my plugs are blackening pretty quickly and the exhaust absolutely REEKS of gas - so I am assuming that I am running really rich, which seems strange with stock jetting. I would downjet,.....but I am waiting on a techno circuit pipe, and I was told that I will need to upjet when I go to that pipe. So if my stock jet is currently too big, maybe the techno circuit pipe will balance me out and I won't need to change my jetting once I go to that pipe.
By the way,....what is the stock jet size on a grande?