Hey Tim. I got the shop manual off of Honda's ebay site: Hondapepub is the seller name. It comes from Alpharetta, GA and shipped out the next business day.
There really was no testing procedure that I used. Once you remove the air cleaner cover and element, you will see two bolts. Remove those, and pay attention as you remove the parts. The manual has a diagram showing the parts and gaskets. The carb comes off, but the linkage stays connected. Not rocket science, but pay attention to the order as you remove them. You will see how the choke moves once you get everything apart. I just noticed it was not snapping back under spring pressure, and lubed it.
I recommend the manual. It was about $35, and helped me solve the problem without taking the mower back to a dealer. I wish they would check the ACS better before they ship the mower.
Mine has been fine since the removal. Starts first pull. I am still using the mower to mulch leaves, and that is creating a lot of dust. Before Spring, I will probably pull everything off and lube the linkage.
Once you check yours, please let us know if you had the same problem.