Thats ashamed that carb was very repairable, you might have needed some new jets to make it like new but maybe not they would also cleanup. Never throw OEM carbs away , they are valuable. That being said there is a guy on Ebay that is selling new Mikunis for a fraction of the price that Yamaha sells them for. Dont know how or why and i was skeptical but bought one for my 2000 Big Bear anyway. I have had no problems with it and it is a Mikuni Carb. I think the seller was Nikki Cycle, i will look it up and get the information if you are interested. I think i paid 200 for it. Mine also had an aftermarket carb on it but it was worse than your original all white and crusty from water getting into it and i didnt even waste time on it, just ordered a new one. Looking at your photos yours was not bad at all. I looked at the link you sent and i didnt see Mikuni anywhere on the carb, i would be skeptical.