KTM 400 Kickstarter

[Nick]

I found a kickstarter for my 1978 400, put it on, and tried to kick the bike over, but the kickstarter won't budge.  The piston is not stuck in the cylinder.  Does anyone know what causes this, and whether it's an easy fix?  I imagine I'll have to split the cases.  I'm wondering if a previous owner tried to drain the oil using the kickstarter bolt on the bottom of the enginer.  Thanks.

[tofriedel]

Nick,

Pull the clutch cover off first to see if anything is binding in the kick start gearing.

Tony

[Nick]

Thanks Tony.  I pulled the head and cylinder off and found that a huge part of the piston is missing.  The previous owner said "A new plug, some gas, she'll fire right up."  It won't be as easy as that, but, I still like the bike - a lot.