loved mine. from new it was slightly hard to start. needed the needles open from factory maybe 1/4 on both before i could get it to start. 1/4 choke flip till fires. flip 2-3 more times asap before the fuel falls out the inverted carb. open choke, flip hard and fast. should start easy. the key is slightly rich and a hard flip. it will get easier with time

Sounds like a possible timing issue. Is your pick up sensor set correctly?
Jeff