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It does look like hot garbage under there tho, and I can't find my dang vice grips. Lol

Your ignition advancer need some cleaning and some drop of high temp grease on all moving parts to do his Job correctly.
Remove the rust dust, it can be catch up by the picup coil and irritate/cut off the ignition Timing.

Well, I think you have to keep looking for what locked up the wheel and kickstart.

I assume the kickstart rotates the engine now.


Anyway, when you get around to routine maintenance like the advancer...
This image is for a 4-cylinder but it's similar to yours. I'm posting it so you can see the rubber cushion stop on the arm. When you clean your advancer , be very careful not to knock the rubber bits off the arms. They are really tiny and just look like a spec of dirt, but they affect the timing.

Everything is still locked up unless the clutch is engaged.. Is there anything else I can do before I pull the engine? Anything else it could be? I'm gunna be honest, my symptoms leave me at a complete loss.

I thought you said the engine was rotating with pistons moving up and down, evidences by air moving in and out of the spark plug holes.

With the clutch pulled the pistons shouldn't move.

Have you pulled the sprocket cover?

Next would be the clutch cover. That will spill a little oil.

Duckinfumb wrote: Everything is still locked up unless the clutch is engaged.. Is there anything else I can do before I pull the engine? Anything else it could be? I'm gunna be honest, my symptoms leave me at a complete loss.

Why would you pull the engine? How could that possibly help you identify the problem? Ed

I figured I'd need to pull the engine out to get to seized pistons? I guess I'm still trying to figure out why my engine locked up, please excuse my ignorance.

My rotor moves with no hang ups using a socket and NO clutch - I hear the air from my pistons moving, and smell gas from my spark plug holes. I have to engage my clutch to roll the back wheel back and forth in gear (gives moderate but consistant resistance with clutch engaged), and to move my kickstart whatsoever

I guess then next is the clutch cover, what should I be looking for under there?

Duckinfumb wrote: I figured I'd need to pull the engine out to get to seized pistons? I guess I'm still trying to figure out why my engine locked up, please excuse my ignorance.

My rotor moves with no hang ups using a socket and NO clutch - I hear the air from my pistons moving, and smell gas from my spark plug holes. I have to engage my clutch to roll the back wheel back and forth in gear (gives moderate but consistant resistance with clutch engaged), and to move my kickstart whatsoever

Before you pick up a wrench I HIGHLY recommend you purchase a Kawasaki Service Manual for your specific year / model bike. You absolutely will need it to work on or maintain the bike, and it may help you identify the problem without tearing the motor apart. If as you say you can "hear the air from my pistons moving" then the pistons must be moving. That a good thing since it indicates that the engine is not seized or "locked up."

Incidentally, you do NOT need to remove the engine from the frame to remove the cylinders. Doing that may make it more difficult rather than easier to work on the motor. Ed

If you can move the rotor on the crank the Pistons should move up and down free.
You can put a wooden stick into the spark plug holes to confirm the Piston movement.
No Need to pull the engine out of the Frame.

I have the service manual for this bike downloaded to my phone and just finished skimming the entire thing this morning. I've had it, and a physical copy of my old manuel from a 87 750LTD twin. Im definitely new at diagnosing and fixing a problem of this size, but I have already learned so much from this forum, and you guys on this thread. I just want to say thank you, and eat my slice of this humble pie, and learn. I am determined to get this machine back on the road. Broke musician, so it's all diy, and this is my daily driver, so I have no choice. If you guys are willing to be patient and teach me, I'll have this licked in no time I promise.

So I guess at this point my question is, what would cause my kickstart to lock completely up, and my bike to give more resistance when I roll it- in gear, clutched fully engaged-if I can move my crankshaft by hand?

Must be something in the clutch. Take the cover off and post a pic.
Steve

Like steve said, the clutch cover is the next thing.

The crank turns so it's not the pistons seized.

It sounds like a transmission or clutch issue.

I've mentioned the sprocket cover a few times, but I don't see where you mention if you've removed it and what you found. Maybe I missed it. But I would look under there too. Sprockets have been known to come off on some Kz's.