Seized Engine?

My bike has been sitting for a while. The kick start will no longer go down. Is likely that my engine is seized? For a motorcycle noobie, what is my next course of action? Am I looking at a total engine overhaul?

Pull out all the spark plugs and pour in a little bit of penetrating oil into each cylinder.
Let it sit for a day or two, and then see if she'll turn over.
If the engine was fine/running the last time you parked her, it should be ok.

PB Blaster, and Marvel Mystery Oil all will work to loosen up stuck pistons and rings. I've read somewhere about using the oil from a Diesel engine to loosen up a seized engine.Any oil is better than none.

Marvel mystery oil will do the trick, always worked on v8 for me, unseize and rebuild! Just undo the spark plugs and pour in and marvel mystery can be used for a bunch of things, just ask an old-timer!

Thanks for the input guys. I'll give it a try and update this thread.

Not to be a party pooper BUT
I have had many many engines with rusted/seized rings. Both on motorcycles as well as automobiles. I have done the same exact thing you all have suggested with pouring a penetrate in the cylinder. About 50-60% of the time with very tender nudging back and forth I have been able to finally get the pistons to go full travel. BUT heres the thing.
"IF" the rings are rusted to the cylinder walls, then the cylinder walls already have damage. Atleast in the exact area at where the rings were rusted to. Not to mention the actual rings. I have never had even 1 [one] engine in this condition that afterwards had the proper compression, or didn't foul plugs from oil consumption. Rust actually comes from the un-oiled cylinder wall more so than the ring/s itself. So theres pitting !
As a matter of facts in most cases the machine shop says 10,000 is needed to clear up the pits.
We can all cross our fingers and hope for the best. I obviously have. But I have also never been so lucky as to free up a engine and have it run correctly.
I am thinking once the rings have rusted to the cylinder walls a cylinder rebuild is inevitable. To make it run correctly anyway. No sense in beating a dead horse.

All correct, BUT, what if a leaky float valve has allowed liquid fuel to sit on a piston? carb problems account for 90+ % of aging beauty's probs. leaky petcocks/float valves allow fuel drainage to pistons/rings/airbox. Pull plugs, see if crank rotates/ejects raw gas. Open engines often rust solid, drippy cocks less -so, check for hydro -lock before tear-down. My 2 cents. g

Well I tried Pb Blaster and a couple night's wait but no luck on getting the engine to turn over with the kick starter. It still won't move.

I guess the next step is to open her up. Any advice before I start? What non-standard tools will I need for this work?

I have one that is so frozen I am gonna have to use muriatic acid to free it. Of course the jugs and pistons will be trash but its the tranny I am after.

I am trying to preserve as much of my engine as I can!

Assuming I don't have to resort to a harsh acid, I hope to just have to refresh the top end and not the whole engine.

Other than the obvious, like "don't break bolts if you can avoid it" is there anything I should look out for or avoid doing to prevent unneeded work?

Thanks

Sorry to hear your issues, that sux especially in the spring.

I am a nooby too, and did the work you will be doing over this past winter. It's not too bad, the only special tools I needed to do engine work was the valve spring compressor and hone. I am not sure, but you may be able to get away with a good hone job and new rings like I did, but you may have to bore and get new pistons...

kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&...w&catid=11&id=325522

did you try to turn it over with the plugs in or out? There is less resistance with the plugs out so more of your legs effort goes to turning the crank...

If it is froze good you will have to pull the head. You can usually get a small piece of wood between the block and the jug, then rock it a little and see what happens. I just got a 650 apart using this method and only one cylinder was froze. Be very careful that you do not break the cooling fins or mar up the mating surfaces. With the head off you can use a wooden dowel to lightly tap the top of the piston to free it up.

This takes patience so go slow and methodical. Good Luck