with mine I crank it a little with the choke on and while cranking let the choke off and as it begins to fire put the choke on again until warmed up. oh yeah gap your spark plugs a bit tighter. I took mine down to .711, one guage under factory min. this really made a diference , finaly a new air filter, shell out the extra for the yamaha one it breathes better . cheers and good look !