Did they put the hot start lever on the bars for the 450's? Mine has a compression release lever on the bars & then the hot start is a knob down by the choke.
My buddies honda kicks really easy & has the hot start lever. I tried to start mine the same way as his, with easy, slow kicks. I was pulling on the compression lever & varying how far I pulled it in & there was no way the bike would start. Finally someone told me to pull in the compression lever & start to kick it until it reaches the top of the stroke. After that, let the lever out & kick it over. Usually starts the first time doing that.