(Howard will know all about
that, with his motorscooter restorations.)

Funny you should mention that. As I was reading your post, I kept think thinking about motorscooter restorations. I spend a lot of time scraping rust, grease, and mulitple paint layers. Where I really cracked up was your engine starting proceedure. For comparison, here is how you start a 53-year-old motorscooter.
1. Remove and replace fouled spark plug and open fuel shut-off.
2. Move choke lever to the left.
3. Raise kick starter pedal, being sure gears are properly engaged. (this prevents broken foot)
4. Kick down with great vigor while holding throttle open.
5. Repeat 3 and 4 until gasoline runs out of carburator(sp?)
6. Move choke lever to right.
7. Repeat 3 and 4 several times.
8. Go back to 1.
Usually, the engine will start on number 7. For an engine of that age, this is considered highly reliable.
Howard