Exactly the same thing I was told when I was in Suzuki showroom to purchase my GD. The guy told me it's "kick stopper". I couldn't get him at that time and just laughed it off. But now you make it clear: we should not kick it hard and it should be just fine. Yesterday, while I was having a rubber tube's piece wrapped around the foot-rest bar, a young boy, hardly 10 or 11 years of age, pushed the kick pedal all way down to the starting position with his one hand. Amazing, isn't it! So this actually proves how soft GD's kick is.
Just to add a little information here, GD's kick is as smooth as butter because when the bike's engine is switched off, it's exhaust valve is left slightly open. So when we kick-start the bike, the piston compresses and the resulting pressure is pushed out through the open exhaust valve and, hence, we have to apply little effort in starting it. In normal engines, the parking position of exhaust valve is fully closed, so engine pressure builds up while starting it and it is this pressure against which we have to push the kick-pedal hard. In case bike does not start, that very pressure built-up in the piston chamber pushes the kick back which may lead to injury to rider.
Good work, Suzuki.