JackThompson899

hey! Very interesting idea here! I am 99% sure the CdI was also replaced (stator I think as well.. it’s been a while. so, for the ground wire on the kill switch. Can I bypass that? (Hardwire) if so… is there a dead simple instruction you might have? (Like, connect the green/white cable coming off the kill switch directly to the chassis. Or something? id love to test that theory.

Thanks for the quick reply! I agree, if you can’t troubleshoot outside new parts you aren’t much of a mechanic. They have done well with cleaning the carbs on my generators though… I’ll see if I can find the manual, and those tests sound like exactly what I need to do. I’ll report back with my results!

Hey guys, I have lurked here for about 7 years (thanks for the yearly birthday wishes!) I posted 7 years ago that we bought a used Yamaha Bear tracker.. and we have had many adventures since then, but half of them have been repair “Adventures” It stopped starting (Even pull start) last year and I tried the basics (Spark plug, clean carb etc) I took it into a shop and they did EVERYTHING to get it to spark. New coil, replaced the entire handlebar cluster (Switches, coil, starter switch, neutral safety, and finally replaced the entire wiring harness.) It simply won’t even try to start. Pulling the pull cord doesn’t start it. After paying for their time and efforts (Over $1000) I dragged it home dead... This shop only “Fixes” things using OEM factory parts and won’t “Jury rig” anything... so if there was a creative way to bypass the entire thing to just start it, they couldn’t really discuss it. I did ask the mechanic when I was loading it up “What would YOU do if this was your ATV at home and you had these issues?” He said he experimented with bypassing the kill switched and it turned over. I didn’t think to ask HOW he bypassed the kill switch, but it sounds like that’s my culprit! So how do I bypass the kill switch on a 2003 Yamaha Bear Tracker 250? Or, is there a way to Hotwire it so I can start it without the starter button (In case that’s the issue, even though it shouldn’t be since the entire handlebar cluster is new.... it seems haunted at this point!

Working on learning to maintain and repair my 2 quads with my son. Gives us something to do together and allows us to have a new hobby (quad riding) that we can afford. Over the last 2 years I've picked up a 1986 Honda TRX250 and a 1999 Yamaha Bear a tracker 250. We've rebuilt carbs, replaced starter pull cords and done basic tune ups. As things get more complicated and repairs start looking more involved hopefully we can find some answers here. Thanks! Off to look around here now.