My 4KY uses about 100A, very roughly speaking, when cranking. The initial surge is somewhat higher.
If it cranked well in the past, the wire size is presumably not the issue, but rather some poor connection somewhere. It may also be worth checking the starter motor to make sure all the brushes are properly functioning; I had to replace my generator starter a few years ago after it burned out, and discovered that for as long as I had owned it, during which time it was rather lethargic and marginal at starting the generator, one of the four brushes was not working properly and so the starter was only half working. Unlike many motors it has two sets of poles around the rotor and four brushes. Of course, it's entirely possible that your starter is a different design since it's a different generator.