Don't be afraid to get a dremel and file set and someone port work and skirt your piston. Even if you just clean them up a tad bit and chamfer it makes a noticeable difference. I know that horse has been beaten to death but noobs are often leery. A new jug cost peanuts so just go for it. The worst that can happen is you learn something.
Hear are some things that many noobs miss because they become so basic, everyone forgets to retell it to a new guy.
Grease your bucking bar and ball bearing.......CONSTANTLY. Every other day of riding. Get it in a squeeze tube, pull the bucking bar out. Hold the tube up to the slot and squeeze her in there like she's about to do her first anal scene. Put the bar back in and just the right amount squeezes out for the clutch cam to go back on.
Ditch the Stock air filter on the NT. It's s**t, the carb is fine, the air filter sucks. Especially if you're in a dusty area.
Number 1. Find some kind of pouch or pack you don't mind carrying at all times and make a tool kit with a ratchet, spark plug socket, and appropriate Allen head sockets( preferably the long ass ones with ball ends, if not and six inch extension) and regular socket for whichever your head bolt nut size is you will need to tighten engine bolts down, an extra exhaust gasket or two, zip ties, lock wire, a tube of white lithium grease (for bucking bar lube), flat and Phillips drivers( I recommend a multibit handle that stores the bits in the handle like Milwaukee makes to cut it down to one), master links, , chain breaker, extra spark plug, 6 inch crescent wrench, a tire patch kit, and good needle nose pliers with a side cutter in the jaws. This will fix damn near anything that will go wrong on a ride. You will be using it and if hounding bring it, you sooner or later will wish you brought it. Especially on a new build and doubely so on your first. Just about any breakdown can be fixed in 20 minutes at a park bench with no headache if have this small kit, bit pushing home isn't fun at all. Throwing in a couple of nuts, bolts and washers with a small tube of blue thread locker, extra brake pads, and a wd40 pen doesn't hurt either. This sounds like a lot when listed but women carry ten times as much in their purse going to their sister's house, You don't need a lot of space for it all.
The US Army M40/M24 gas mask bag/messenger bag is what I use and recommend. It is pert' near taylor made for all this leaving lots of empty room for some trip specific crap available. It organizes everything perfectly and has a wrap around strap to make sure it stays closed and a small adjustable strap with a clip that is for securing looping through your belt in back so it won't flop around on turns and while peddling.
Oh and it has a little side pouch that is just the right size for a small 1 gallon bottle of 2 stroke stihl 40:1 oil. Which is 77ml of oil. Just a few decimals shy of the right amount of oil for a 25:1 mix on an empty 2.5 Liter tank or 20:1 on a 1.5. I run 32-36:1 but 25:1 or 20:1 is fine in a dire emergency just to make it home once and drain the rest. Oh and don't be cheap, run 91 non-stop gas. Even if you have to fill a 5 gallon tank and drive 10 miles once a month.
If you can't get it, run super.
Oh and MSR fuel bottles for camp stoves make a great way to pack some extra "get me home" gas.
Akutey is spot on as well about the stock chain.
Use a sealer on your intake gasket just don't use RTV. Permatex Indian Head shellac, aviation Form-a-gasket, and high-tack works well.