Having issues with my 82 KZ750

I just picked up a complete KZ750 for "parts" on local craigslist for extremely cheap just to see if by some grace of god it could be salvaged. The person that sold it to me said it was running very recently (it was titled until last month) There is no electric starter on the bike but I put a new battery in it and all of the lights/turn signals work correctly.

The problem comes with the starting of it.

I cant move through the gears only have neutral/first.
The kickstart WON'T move unless i hold the clutch in (even when the green neutral light is on and the bike moves freely)

When I pull the clutch in the kickstart is very easy to push down, no resistance at all.

What am I looking at here?


Thanks for reading, this is a great community!

These engines have an interlock, preventing gear operation beyond first, unless the engine is running. You might be able to shift to higher gears, if the back wheel is off the ground, and turned a few times.

Squeezing the clutch lever disconnects the clutch from the drive train, so look at adjusting the clutch & clutch cable. Also, do not use car oils in a wet plate clutch motorcycle, as they contain friction modifiers, not kind to clutches.

Thanks for the words, I am completely new to these bikes!

Since the kicker won’t rotate the engine the pistons may be seized in the cylinders. If the bike has a centerstand you may want to try this – with the bike on the centerstand, the spark plugs removed, and the transmission in first gear see if you can rotate the rear wheel (you may need to apply a fair amount of force). If you can rotate the engine this way, and the kicker still doesn’t work, there may be a problem with the kicker assembly. If the engine still won’t rotate you may want to put some penetrating oil in the cylinders and let that soak for a couple days before trying again. If the engine still won’t turn over you may be looking at a rebuild. Ed

This is really helpful, I'll work on the bike some more tomorrow!

Thanks

Holy s!$@ I had the exact same symptoms... kicker wouldn't kick unless the clutch was pulled in. Long story short dam kids knocked the bike over into the swimming pool, old lady never told me about it. By the time I pulled the head off pistons were seized, rusted to the cylinder walls.

Take off the stator cover (left side engine cover) and make sure that the starter chain and drive sprocket were removed. If someone removed the starter without opening up the left side and removing that chain, then it is possible it's wound up and locking the crank.

Alright so I got the cover off the bike and drained the oil, no chain there. I've attached some pictures to give an idea if what I'm working with now.

Just an FYI:
You must either leave the sprocket installed behind the rotor, or find some way to block off the oil hole in the crank that's under the sprocket hub.

Grab hold of the rotor and try and rock it back and forth, with the spark plugs removed.