I'm pretty excited to get my project underway. I have removed the engine from the bike and striped it down to just the bottom end. I'm waiting for this weekend to dig deeper into the possible issues.
The seat got bent about 15 years ago when I picked the bike up by the seat and handle bars. I left the seat bent in the picture to document the beginning of my project.
After removing the seat, I managed to decrease the angle of the bend.