You just reminded me of a question I meant to ask two years ago & I hope nobody minds if I ask it here:
2008 AVL Classic, 600 miles, never use the electric start (I've used it maybe 4 times all told), lever-operated cam that holds the exh valve open, BUT:
IF I DO use it, should I be holding pressure on the decomp lever 'til it starts to prevent that horrible sprag noise from escaping?
(The only time I MIGHT use the ES would be if I killed it in a tricky traffic sitcheeation).
It has been suggested that spinning up the engine with the ES while the decompressor is open, and then closing it for actual starting while it's spinning, will help to prevent kickbacks.
Opening the decompressor when turning the engine off helps to prevent the inertia of the crank from rotating up against a closed cylinder that has compression, and being forced backward(roll-back) if it can't overcome that compression in the cylinder.
Anything that can push the sprag backward can damage it. The decompressor can help avoid this damage when used in a manner to protect the sprag.
The problem is that the AVL decompressor is actually a valve-lifter type, and isn't the most effective decompressor around for these purposes.