Hi Ray, I always start mine with gear in neutral, foot down on the clutch and the choke lever up fully. I then pull the other lever (the starter lever) until it starts. Aas the car starts to warm up I then gradually lower the choke lever. For best results I always leave the car running 4-5 minutes before setting off.
Bumpy ride could be anything, it might be that it's not been used for a while in which case if you do use it more it might improve. Failing that cleaning things like the carb etc. 9the other chaps can help advise much better than me here) will certainly help improve performance.
Good luck - looking forward to seeing some more pictures when you get chance!