Picked it up today and starting seems less predictable than winning the lottery - any tips appreciated:

As crazy as this may sound, I start with my foot 2 inches off the kickstarter. Then whip it through. The extra 2 inches seems to really help. Don't bother finding top dead center or trying to go easy on the starter gear teeth. It just doesn't start using the same method as my old 2000 TXT321. Now that I have the hang of it, the '05 PRO starts first or second kick.

Whip it good !!

From what i have heard most pro's are the same ! (mine definitely is) When you kick it up open the throttle up a little (you will get to find the right amount with practice) and it will normally start staight away. Be very careful with the kick start lever it will break if you abuse it, also heard of the casing cracking because of the leverage when the lever hits the footpeg.

Cheers guys - seem to be able to light the fire on the second prod now which is a big improvement and the bruise is getting better on my foot!

Just be careful about getting the kickstart stuck down wedged by the foot peg. This will chew up the starter cog in seconds and will wind up you having to replace it. I have got thrugh 2 allready on a 10 month old 05 pro. If you get TDC first and dont snap and just prod it starts first time and puts less stress on the mechanism.