I believe it is but I can't say for sure without hearing it. Moving the needle clip takes five minutes so you can certainly lean it out somewhat and see how it responds.

Needle clip position affects primarily the closed to 1/4 throttle range, with some effect in the 1/4 to 3/4 range. At full throttle it has negligible effect. You can always go a step larger on the main to restore a proper WOT mixture in the event that the plug shows lean or you start hearing detonation.

My 74 360, despite the air leak which I suspect is the crank seal, has yet to so much as scuff the piston. This is despite quite a bit of sustained, significant detonation. You can rest assured that engine damage is very unlikely to occur while experimenting with jetting, as long as you make small changes. If you drop the main jet four sizes it will probably burn the motor down. One notch on the needle is a very safe adjustment.

Reed valves eliminate the tendency of piston port engines to blow back through the carb at low RPM. This enables a very high degree of refinement in carburetion across the entire range. No need to settle for chunky fueling. Between the pilot jet, air screw, needle and clip position, it can certainly be resolved.

I'd suggest going up a size on your pilot jet . Where you've set your Air Screw for best idle ,
suggests it is a tad small . They are not expensive , and it's not hard to do .
It may not eliminate the problem entirely , but may reduce it's effects .
Nothing ventured , nothing gained .

I agree with Swoop on the pilot jet... not sure it will do anything for your "smooth running" but it very well could help it start with fewer kicks in my experience.

As far as other adjustments... there is a Mikuni Tuning manual in the Tech Library that will give you the correct relationship between throttle position and what circuit in the carb is primarily in use. If you can identify the throttle position where the "issue" is occurring, you can then identify which circuit to adjust.

Pilot jet and slide cutaway are the major influences from 0-1/4 throttle for example...

Have fun and when you take your trip up the mountain, please share lots of pictures!

thanks Mark and Swoop
i will go up one and see what happens...thanks