Yep, it makes a difference.
I broke my kickstart spring a couple of weeks back, so when I replaced it I had to figure out the best position to set the kickstart at at the top of the stroke.
Just a few degrees below vertical seems about right. Room for a good kick!
By the way, I've finally joined the ranks of all those fans who can really say "she starts with one kick!"
Most of the time, now, I can do it. The only times I 've had problems in the past couple of days - - well, once I had shut off the petcock. The other time, the kill switch was still on. Doh!