I recently bought a 87 TRX 250 not running of course, the owner had a brand new Key Switch on it. I think it is the wrong one or wrong wire colors as the colors dont match up with wiring diagram i downloaded for it. anyone have a pic of their ign switch wires where they connect with the wire colors for that model? I ended up leaving the black/w stripe and green wire disconnected in order to hot wire it for other testing but would like to know as the colors dont match diagram.

I need to diagnose / replace switch on my Big Bear. It's been intermediate over last few years and finally quit. Nuetral light doesn't come on and have to pull brake in to start.

I'd be very cautious about doing that nut up to 100ft.. I'd do it up, despite what the book says, to 65-70..

Its around 100 ft pds, let me look it up to be more exact.

Thats it to get to the switch. It under the primary clutch. Just be sure to torque the nuts back on and bend up the tab.

You can test the switch using an ohm gauge. Disconnect the switch's plug and when it's in neutral, from the wire to the engine should show zero ohms, when it's in gear it should show open circuit. Even better than the gauge would be a test light from the battery positive to the wire. The light should behave just as the neutral light does, on when in neutral and off in gear. The test light is better because it puts some current through the switch contacts so it really tests the contacts under working conditions. Checking for voltage or reading ohms is often not a very satisfactory test because the gauges use so little current that they will read enough voltage when there's no load on the circuit, but once a load comes on the voltage drops right down. If you are going to use a volt gauge you really need to measure the voltage with the load off and then with the load on, and the voltage shouldn't drop by more than about a half a volt in most circuits. If i\a measurement starts at 12v but drops right down when the load is on then there is a bad connection that the simple check for voltage under no load doesn't show. The best way to use a volt gauge is by doing what's called a voltage drop test. A voltage drop test is described online, or, I notice that Polaris service manuals go to some trouble to describe all the different applications of a voltage drop test.

I grounded the sb wire and nuetral light came on and it started. So I temporary grounded it so i can start it without putting the brake in every time. How can I test the switch and how do I remove the clutch to access the switch?

Ok, you have a bad connection somewhere that's causing the voltage to drop from 12v when there's no load, to 0.7v when the load comes on. You need to connect your gauge to the two battery terminals and check it's 12v, and that the voltage doesn't drop when you turn the key on. Then you take the positive lead and start checking for voltage in steps from the start solenoid to the fuse then to the ignition switch's red wire. Try each test position with the key off and it should show 12v, turn the key on and it should still stay real close to 12v. If the voltage drops to 0.7 with the key on then the bad connection is between your present test point and the previous one. If the voltage to the switch stays at 12v then test on the Bl/w wire of the switch with the switch on and off. If the voltage drops at the Bl/w when the key is turned on then the switch has bad contacts. If the power coming out of the switch stays at 12v then you move along through the wiring diagram looking for the point where the voltage drops when the key is turned on, but rises again to 12v when the key is turned off.

If you have the diagram it show how the switch works. There are two parallel sets of contacts. When it's switched off the kill contacts make contact, and when the switch is on run it disconnects those kill contacts and closes the other two contacts. As long as your new switch works like that it will be usable. You need to check that first, some switches work differently to that. Then you might have to reposition the switch wires in their plastic plug. I'd figure/check which set are closed at OFF position and use those two switch wires to connect to B/w and green on the bike wiring, and the other two switch wires that contact in the RUN position get connected to R and Bl wires on the wiring loom.

The wiring diagram I looked in said the key switch connects B/w with G to kill, and R and Bl for ignition..