Yes, I cut the alligator clips off my geared starter pretty quick as well and replaced them with a deans connector so as to run it off an old 5S li-po pack. I hit it with the ignition turned on.

I used to put some straight cool power down the throttle at first and give it a quick spin but I experienced starting issues. Coming from two-stroke glow world I was probably a bit heavy handed with the oil, so I stopped doing that. Also, as the rear bearing is sealed behind the crank ring, I didn't really see how any of that oil was going to get near the rear bearing anyway?

When the engine was reliable and I was running it most weekends I just used to shut it down with the throttle, empty the tank and put it away and the bearings used to stay in good condition (see picture).

However while it's been laying around for months on end between burst of enthusiasm, I've been seeing corrosion on the bearing. Given how much raw fuel I've found in there at times, that's not surprising.