You will still need to post the make, and model of your carb. to have someone with a kind heart, and the same carb to measure theirs for you. If it ran better with the needle raised, you may be running a little lean. Raising the needle will richen the mixture. A dark plug is saying the opposite though. The only SURE way to know 100% would be to order the correct needle for your carb. Not just for that bike but for that carb. Also the Kymco manuals are FAMOUS for mis-information so don't lose too much sleep over that comparison.