Handle Bar position for newbie

Hello all,

I just became a recumbent rider with in the last two weeks. I bought
an ActionBent Jet Stream II with under seat steering.

My difficulties at first, not surprisingly, were start ups. Once, I
left the bike in a high gear and couldn't start without falling over.
But, with a little perseverance, I learned to get underway without
wobbling too much.

My question today has to do with the handle bar position. The
JetStream can ridden with the handle bars "up" or rotated all the way
"down" so that they're at the seat level.

Getting on and off the bike is much easier with the bars down. But, it
seemed a bit more difficult to start.

Is this just newbie adjustment to riding a bent, or a common problem?