Do I need a choke?

I would agree, but I'll add this. I don't think that's ALL of his problem. I have an electric choke in Vixen's carburetor, but it's not connected and I have adjusted locked open. I know we're in totally different climates, but 20 degrees or 100 degrees and she pops right off. Yeah it takes a minute or so for her to idle on cold weather, but spring, summer and fall, she's idling by herself by the time I back out in the driveway......about 20 seconds.
The biggest issue I've seen is when people disconnect their chokes and fuss about how hard the thing is to start. The issue comes down to the carb running really lean at normal running temp. If it's lean at temp, then how could it work properly if it is cold outside? Once again, comes down to properly tuning the carb.