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after spending the winter refurbing my maestro it will not start
tere are sparks and using easy start it will run for a few seconds the cut out. I have cleaned out the carbs but it still will not fire

any ideas before i take a large hammer to it

You need to check again that the ignition timing is about right static. Is fuel flowing correctly? Is it Fresh fuel? Was the cambelt touched? Recheck all the marks associated with timing and valve clearances. Are the carbs really set up correctly? Assume you have made a mistake.My 350 would not start after a complete rebuild. I had not made any mistakes.(well not that I know about) It did start after several bumps down the hill since when it has been fine. I don't know why it needed "priming" like this but there you go.
Lay off the hammer-I took a swing at a recalcitrant BMW once and dented a stainless steel silencer.Only a light tap as well.Doh!

thanks for your reply--i will try again this weekend with fresh petrol.
if the timing is out surely it would not fire on easystart would it?

I would agree about the petrol issue. I recall reading an article in either a bike or classic car mag that said modern petrol had a higher level of 'light' components that evaporate. These were, I think, used to boost the octane rating of the fuel. I tend to clean out the carbs and let a little fuel flow to the wash can after the winter layup. The lawnmower definitely doesn't like old fuel!!

Good luck at the weekend!

John.