Sounds like me like your favourite mechanic is ripping you off. I've never heard of a reed switch, he probably made it up because the real problem was too easy to fix for him to charge you much.

I took then float out just then. It is fine, there are no cracks or petrol inside. I submerged it in a bucket of water but there were no bubbles or anything. So the float is fine and doesn't have a leak. I don't know what I'm checking for when I'm looking at the needle. I mean it has a little wear and tear and is possibly a tiny bit bent. But I can't see anything that presents a major problem.

One other thing I should mention is that I'm having problems with the clutch. I've tried my best to adjust it every way possible but still have small problems with gear changes. A friend told me that the clutch plates are either worn or the spring behind them needs replacing. The clutch plates are new so that can't be the problem.

But I'm thinking, maybe the clutch plates aren't engaging properly because they're slipping or something and that is effecting the performance. After testing it, it isn't just the mid range, the high range is effected quite a bit as well. So maybe the clutch slipping doesn't effect performance so much when I'm just cruising along slowly, but as I accelerate it really becomes noticable.