The gasser takes a certain kick to start. In fact some people never get the hang of it. It takes a short quick kick. You need to slowly kick it to top dead center, bring the kicker back to the top. Make sure the lever is engaged and kick a fast kick. It will never start with a slow lazy kick. Some riders can start it first kick every time, some give up and buy another brand. That`s how I got my boys bike, the previous owner hated to `try` to start it.