Hard starting Honda 2000s

My 2000 is much the same. I found that if I turned the knob(on/off knob) from off to on and just let it sit for a a minute or so before trying to start, it would start in one or two pulls (with the choke on). I don't know if this will resolve your problem but it seems to have made a difference for mine. Hope it works for you.

Mine's been like that since new. In fact it took 18 pulls to get it started when I took it out of the box. And it has been a dog to start ever since. It's ok if you start it after 1 day but like you say, let it sit a few days or a week and you pull and pull.
My buddy takes his Yamaha out in the spring after letting it sit all winter without and fuel treatment and it starts in 1 pull.

The only good thing I have to say about my honda is it pours out power better than the Yamaha does. It just has better reserve current capacity.