1968 Cobra kicktart has locked engine

[Wickoscobra]

kick started and engine fired up for a second then stalled, making a "oh dear" sound. Now the kickstarter will not turn the engine over at all and is locked so won't press down at all! Have rocked the bike in 4th gear backwards and forwards and it is completely locked up transmission wise. Any help appreciated.

[jabcb]

Is the bike a barn find? Or was it running fine last year? Or …?

[Wickoscobra]

This one is a good runner and rides nicely. It started and maybe ran as for 2-300 revolutions before abruptly stopping. The sound, if you can imagine, was like a piece of the kickstarter mechanism dropped into the gearbox? I will have to remove the motor to investigate further.

[jabcb]

Since you will have the motor apart, its a good time to replace the crank seals & do the transmission oil level mod.

[daxman]

This one is a good runner and rides nicely. It started and maybe ran as for 2-300 revolutions before abruptly stopping. The sound, if you can imagine, was like a piece of the kickstarter mechanism dropped into the gearbox? I will have to remove the motor to investigate further.

Ouch - but it wasn't in gear at crunch time, right?

[karl pa]

Have rocked the bike in 4th gear backwards and forwards and it is completely locked up transmission wise

Do you think it's transmission, or engine? If you pull the clutch while rocking back and forth does it roll? Did you pull clutch cover to check if something came apart ?