Ryobi 1800/2300 generators have poor starter design. It has sharp edges inside near the hole for the rope. I have seen several generators and all of them had damaged (or broken) rope about 10 inches from the handle.
I didn't fix this problem in time and the rope broke after about 200 hours of running. I bought a new starter online and spent over 3 hours replacing it. The new rope began to break in the same place. I began to close it with tape and now repeat tape periodically. Now the generator has over 1200 hours and the rope works good.
Please don't repeat my mistakes. Repair all problems as soon as possible.
Thanks.