The case for sobriety at tune up time

Either way, it is a great way to help someone on how to do something. Definitely better than just text alone. I think it works very, very well.

I have to say this forum is GREAT!
A special thanks to Sven- your help has saved me much time and grief.
I disengaged the kickstart return spring and rotated the whole assembly and out it came. Mark at Thumperstuff had replacement parts in stock; I feel so fortunate to live within a few miles of his business. Since I had the right cover off, I installed new clutch disks and of course, a new oil filter.
I was relatively lucky in that when I first noticed the extreme drag on the starter lever, I pushed it through by hand instead of jumping on it harder.
The only damage to the case is a sheared scrape mark, less than .015" deep and about the size of a pencil eraser in area. Mark at Thumperstuff showed me some cases that didn't fair as well .
I also took advantage of Stew's suggestions for oil changes - spilled two drops, but not bad for a first timer.
Again, thanks to everyone here on the forum. I hope one day I can be of help to someone else in a bind.
Will let you know how the startup goes after I re-fit the sump and get some oil.

Jerry

Gern geschehen!