First of all, stomp starter operation is a "heel and toe" process. Push the starter pedal with the toe of your right foot, and work the throttle if necessary with your heel. If you're having to manipulate the throttle, you're either not using enough choke for a cold start or the engine isn't tuned right. With a properly-tuned engine and a good carburetor, a cold start should go like this - - - -ignition on, pull choke knob out fully, push start pedal until the engine fires, push choke in partway until the engine runs smoothly. It should not be necessary to do a Jose' Greco dance on the pedals! Automatic chokes and/or electronic fuel injectors have made cold starts pretty much idiot-proof!
On the shifting, slow down your motion on the shift lever. The gears have to have time to equalize speed as the clutch is disengaged and the shifter moves to the next gear. It's possible to ease the shifter close to the next gear position and "feel" when the tooth speed equalizes. Most grinding shifts are caused by rushing the effort to get into the next gear. On a downshift, things get a little more complicated, but let's stick to upshifts for now. Have fun!
Jerry
