davefrombc

The reverse light switch (sensor) should read 0 ohms or close to it when it is closed to indicate the machine is in reverse. The lights brightening as you rev up the motor is normal as the voltage rises as the motor revs faster . Check the voltage at the battery when the motor is running It should be about 12.5 at idle and rising to a maximum of between 13.5 and 14.2v . If it is low it could also be the source of the rough running , although the rough running, bogging and backfire is usually from the motor running lean. It could be from a missed plugged passage or just the idle air mixture out of adjustment. Check for leakage of the high tension wire to the spark plug and try a new plug too as the spark plug could be intermittent .

OK.. Sorry I can't help more. The starter clutch should grab so hard that it stops if the motor doesn't turn over. That is normal . Spinning over without the motor turning over is not. Did you change the piston when you worked on the motor? It might be a little too big for the cylinder and binding before the motor warms up and the cylinder expands .

It sounds to me like the one way clutch for the starter is not grabbing properly. You should not hear the starter whining it the clutch was locking to turn the motor ovrr. With the plug out, the clutch holds just enough to turn the motor over slowly , but it is still slipping badly. Since you had the motor apart, you may have installed the clutch backwards. Try taking it out and turning it around to see if that solves the problem. If it doesn't, a new one way clutch ( sprag clutch) should fix your problem.

Voltage to the positive terminal of the starter while cranking should be between 10.5 and11.8 v while the motor is turning over. If it is less then either the battery is weak or there is possibly corrosion creating resistance and dropping the voltage to the starter. A fully charged battery should have between 12.6 and 13.2 volts

Yhat appears to be the correct brake handle for the right side ( master cylinder for front brakes. The left brake uses a cable to activate the rear brakes. From everything I found in searches , there is no cable attached to the front brake ( right handle) lever

I think everyone has their own valid opinion of which is the best brand. I like my Honda , and friends who have them also swear by them . Yamaha , Kawasaki and Suzuki also have their fans. Kymco, although much less well known also has a very good reputation among those that can get over their prejudices against "Chinese junk" . Kymco is Taiwanese, makes parts for a few high end car makers and as well as for some of the more name brand Japanese ATV builders. I can't speak for the reliability of some of the newer models of US/ Canadian ATV builders, but some of the older ones did not have a great reputation here . For example , among the riders I know the old Polarises were better known by the name " Pullhairis" for the troubles they had . I think the best ATV is the one that does the job for you, is liked by your riding circle of friends and is the one you can afford. Keep the maintenance up and any of todays machines will serve you well, although I too am wary of unknown brands that sell cheaply. None of the name brand , domestic or foreign should let you down whether the machine is 40 years old or new .. Maintenance means much ore than age .

You might have a vent line for the fuel pump blocked. It should prime by gravity feed. The bike should roll reasonably easy when in neutral and 2wd; a little harder if in 4wd. the centrifugal clutch automatic transmissions take a little throttle to engage, and a little more if the belt is worn but but it shouln't take a lot . It does sound like you have something dragging to make it so hard to roll. I'd look for dragging brakes before digging into anything else.

It sounds like a lean issue with both quads. Is the stock air filter in place ? Some quads lean out and don't want to run right without the air filter . Check to make sure there's nothing restricting the fuel flow to the carb. Also check to see if a small piece of crud has gotten into the carb inlet and resstricting fuel flow past the float needle . The new carb you bought might not be calibrated properly for your machine. Check the clip on the main throttle needle. You may need to move it down towards the needle tip to make it open more under throttle. Check is the idle air screw. It may be adjusted a little too lean. That would let it idle but when you go to open the throttle the mixture goes a bit to lean and it stumbles. All these lean burn symptoms would be more pronounced when the motor is warm. Those are about all I can think of to suggest checking .. Good luck and Happy New Year .

Do you know anyone in the US you can trust to pick up the parts and ship them to you? I looked for Canadian dealers but BRP must have the same deal with them . No shipping outside Canada even to the US, and I didn't find any that showed pistons or heads available online.

Have a very Safe and Happy New Year everyone.

There is a shop manual that covers your quad in the download section that you can access after 10 posts .. I hope you enjoy your machine and find the forum here is great for far more than just finding manuals .

Rear tires on most 2 wheel drive quads are a little bigger than the fronts. Your quad likely has stock size tires on it and the one in the video has rear tires that someone has swapped for the stock.

I hope everyone is having a safe and merry Christmas and Santa's reindeer powered ultimate ATV was loaded with toys when it stopped by . Merry Chriastmas.mp4

Have a very Merry and Safe Christmas everyone.

I made it 388 Dan

Here is a link to a site with the service manual for the 2005 Sportsman 500. It won't let me download the manual unless I sign up with the site so I'm just posting the link for you to do as you wish.. You can view the entire manual online , just can't download it . https://www.scribd.com/doc/51630928/2005-Polaris-Sportsman-400-500-Service-Manual-NoPW

It's good to know your limitations and those of your machine , but it's fun ( and occasionally painful) to exceed them. I must admit at 75 I tend to nudge them more rather than push them.

Look for a blown fuse somewhere in the main circuit from the battery. That may be all the problem with the ECM and the rest of the circuits. If there wasn't a fuse or fusible link the whole wiring system should have gone up in smoke within seconds. As far as the ECM and other sensitive electronics goes with reversed polarity, they should have blown within milliseconds of the reversal.. Too fast for you to see anything happening. Since you say it was hooked up for minutes without visible smoke or damage I'd look for a fuse or fusible link and hope it saved the day .

Since I am into trail riding, hunting and pulling tasks around home I much prefer the low end grunt of the 4 strokes. Add to that the convenience of not having to mix the fuel and it's 4 stroke without question . Racing is a different matter. 2 strokes shine there, but unless you're race crazy, go with 4 stroke. They're so much more convenient and versatile .

There have been some members found that without the breather box and air filter their machine does go lean and bog as you say yours does.. You could try restricting the air a bit either with the choke or just by partially blocking the intake with your hand and see it it will rev up ok .

I think only you can decide if it is worth it or not .. Can you do the repairs yourself? What will the parts cost? how does the quad run? Motor ,transmission and tires good? Other quads around for comparable price that may be in better condition/ need less work on them? I never let the year bother in my decisions if the motor and transmission are fine . My own Quad is a 1991.

My own quad is a 1991 Honda Fourtrax 300FW, bought used 6 years ago. Only major repair I've done on it is replaced the rear axle and wheel hubs 2 years ago due to the splines on the axle ends and the wheel hubs wearing out ( a common problem on many of the older solid rear axle machines). I replaced the battery a couple of years ago and replaced the brushes in the starter this year. That's it for repairs. A friend bought a 1988 2 wheel drive Honda Fourtax 250 that had really been rode hard. The rear axle swing arm and torque tube was all cracked up.. Some welding and gusseting with my wirefeed and the machine has been good to go since. In my opinion, you can't beat a Honda for reliability and longevity.

In BC, other than the cheapie smaller Mainland Chinese offerings , the Polaris is likely the least popular. I don't know about newer models , but the older ones gained the nickname "Pullhairis". It would be hard to go wrong with any Honda , Yamaha, Kawasaki or Suzuki if it was kept reasonably well maintained. One machine that far too many dismiss as " Chinese junk" but actually is one of the best is the Kymco... built in Taiwan.. Kawasaki , Yamaha and most likely Honda still have ties with Kymco. Kymco originally built parts for Honda before branching out on its own. It now is one of the largest manufacturers world wide for scooters, and supplies motors and other parts for some of the big name Japanese quads .. BMW ( yes , that BMW) has close dealings with Kymco. I am not familiar with any of the larger mainland Chinese made ATVs, but I've seen some that look very good. Don't kid yourself . The Chinese can make some cheap junk, but they can also make some products that can compete on the same level as the best of the world.

Why not the nice shiny rims? . They look good .

Excellent job. I think there's going to be one very happy young lady.