Modernize?! The VM series design is around a decade older than the BS series, more fiddly and less reliable on several parameters. The TM36/68 flat slide pumpers on my D-model are "modern" carbies--meaning that the design dates from the late 1980's, just before the advent of EFI froze carburetor evolution forever.
Michael's jetting happened to hit the sweet spot with your carb set, but most of the time some fine tuning is required, and much of the time a lot of effort is needed. I spent a bit of time at the Dogwood Rally with a long time 650 Society member who knows his stuff trying to figure out why his VM34's were running rich with Michael's jetting. And yes, he'd consulted with Michael on the problem and got and followed good advice and got some improvement, but the job still wasn't finished. I suggested some changes to try.
Does that mean I think I know more than Michael? Of course not! He wasn't there with his hand on the throttle, and I was. Many situations like that over the years lead me to strongly discourage anyone from believing that they can be sure of accurate final tuning in mail order carburetors, and Michael doesn't send his "Bumbler's Guide" handbook with his carbs because he doesn't think it will be needed.