What's Wrong

Cam timing wrong ? valves meeting piston ?.  Wrong barrels/sleeves  , conrods  not enough clearance to cylinders  cut outs?.Primary chain snagging on alternator housing?.A  valve rocker hitting the underside of cylinder head due to incorrect pushrod?. 99 pistons fitted (too long)? Miss located pushrod?.

Sounds like you might have more than one gear selected at the same time. I had a car like that once. It drove perfectly OK, but when I pushed the gear lever forward when stopped still it engaged first and third at the same time. There was a missing interlock component but maybe you have a bend selector fork?

Roger, you say gear selection is good and also good when you rotate the engine. If the engine rotates there appears to be nothing wrong there.  Also if the engine rotates then so must the g/box mainshaft. Despite what you say I think you have a problem in the g/box. Have you tried removing the primary chain selecting a gear and then try to turn the rear wheel.

Have you done anything to the Engine since it last ran?   Has it run in your ownership?.

Separate the two elements by disconnecting the primary chain, re-try your wheel turning/kickstart pushing and confirm gearbox status. I'm in team G/box for this one

Confirm that then we  can  delve  deeper...

Jon 

Its normal that the Machine will try to move with the Kickstart  if the bike is in any gear and it makes no difference if the clutch is in or out.  It does sound odd  but its true. .

Get it into the “locked” condition and start to dismantle sub assembly at a time. Levers off, check the situation; self centring mechanism, knuckle, front cover and so on?  At some point it will be clear what is amiss. It may be deep inside, but the deeper you go the simpler it gets.

Good hunting

Jon

Let's get things in order. Sorry if this is obvious but the question is confusing me.

The engine when running always turns the clutch basket through the primary chain. When the clutch is not engaged, that's all that the engine moves.

Engage the clutch and now the engine is connected to the gearbox main shaft.  If the gearbox is in neutral, the main shaft spins but the output (sleeve gear outside the main shaft) does not move.

The kick-start turns the main shaft (because the gear on the layshaft actually turned by the kick-start is in mesh with the main shaft 1st gear). If it is in gear and the clutch is engaged, operation of the kick-start tries to turn the engine and the back wheel. If the back wheel is on the ground, the bike tries to move. So that's no use. If the clutch is disengaged, the kick-start still tries to turn the back wheel if it is in gear.  Isn't that what you are seeing? Nothing wrong.

If the clutch is then disengaged when in gear, the kick-start still turns the main shaft and rear wheel but not the engine. So that's no use.

In neutral, when clutch is not engaged, the kick-start turns the main shaft freely. No use.

To start the bike, it must be in neutral (so main shaft doesn't try to turn the output sleeve gear and thus the back wheel), and clutch must be engaged so kick-start turns the engine.

Exactly which of the above is not happening? 

I met an Indian chap who had ridden old Enfields which (he said) had a rear stand. He told me he kick-started his bike in first gear with the rear wheel off the ground. He said it was to get more flywheel effect! I don't suggest you try...I imagine the primary chain would have suffered a shock load.

Good luck. I wonder ( after a chat with RT of this parish), is the kick-start pawl the wrong way round? We Norton owners really are not blessed with enough good quality drawings to show us precisely how things fit together.  Especially sections.  The old manuals say things like "assembly is the reverse of disassembly"...which is hopeless when someone else (or even we) took it apart ages ago.

suggest taking pictures: eg after removing outer cover, etc.

Where are you Roger? Maybe someone could come over and have a look at it. Fresh pair of eyes etc. 

You're a long way from me (Worc's) but maybe someone nearer might read this and offer some help. Good luck.

Isn't Solent Branch close to you? You could go to a club meeting.

A problem with the Kickstart Pawl would allow the rear wheel to rotate one way but not the other. perhaps the Pawl has been fitted the wrong way up.

HI Phil,   I have found the pawl upside down on two bikes , All that happened was the pawl eventually slipped  after it wore  ,   Surprising that they work at all like this.

There are two selector forks. One will disengage a gear and then the other engages another. A bent fork might cause a problem? I don't remember if both are the same and, if not, can they be fitted the wrong way round or swapped around?

Interesting problem. Taking in order, does the engine revolve freely with the plugs out and primary chain disconnected? Are the plugs too long, and hitting the piston tops? Is the pawl in the gearbox set right? Checking with no primary chain fitted, one will not notice that the shaft and sleeve gear turn together. Are all gears in the right order, and the right way round. Are the parts in the gearbox all the same year, not a collection of a Barn Find? The gears can be fitted so that it does not work, I found that reassembling one. Good luck!

Now you are an expert Box man ,a broken gearchange spring will hold no fears for you.! .If you look at the first reply to your  thread there are a few  ideas to be going on with !!.

Why not go there and discuss the problem; I'm sure there will be willing support for you there.

Cheers

Jon