Howard,
It has been said on this site somwhere before that the only dumb question is the one that wasn't asked.
When I first got my 77 550 SS I rode the bike for a couple of days trying to figure out which was the right way for a similar choke lever. I had been used to pull out for on and push in for off. So you have made me feel better about myself and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Welcome to the site and ride on man!

Whenever you've got a question check the Faq's page first then fire away if you get no joy there. There are a bundle of knowledgeable SOHCers on here.
Cheers