I have in my possession a four-wheeler that i need to start. I have used it many times before, but i left it in gear last time i turned it off. I can’t for the life of me remember how to start it when it isn’t in neutral. I was thinking that there was a switch thaqt would let me switch down gears but i can’t find it. It is a honda utility atv if that helps at all
Not familiar with Honda ATVs, but…
If it’s a standard transmission, pull in the clutch and hold it while you start. Or shift into neutral.
If it’s an automatic transmission and it won’t start unless it’s in neutral, try shifting into neutral.
If it’s a standard transmission and the battery is dead, put it into second and pull in the clutch. Have someone push you and release the clutch with the switch on.
This probably won’t work with the new machines.
I used to have a little Honda ATC 110 Three-Wheeler.
If you would push down on the gear shift half-way the clutch would engage. Find a big hill and once you get goin’ down it let go of the gear shift. Yee-hah!
(Sheesh! I used to work on ATVs, but I can’t remember!)
IIRC, most of these things have basic manual transmissions with a clutch that works when you move the shift lever …right? Can you shift it back into neutral while rocking it back and forth? IIRC (again), the shift patterns on ATVs are reversed from motorcycles, neutral is at one end, or something like that (man, am I helpful or what! :rolleyes: )
Johnny L.A., I think all the automatics use Salisbury transmissions (belts with pulley sheaves that separate/close as RPMs increase.) These don’t have a neutral, just a brake switch. But like I said, I can’t remember…
The honda ATV’s I am familiar with have the gears in a four-down-one-up arrangement, with neutral in the middle, so it’s difficult to tell when it’s in neutral. If you click up on the shifter (by your left foot) a couple times to make sure it’s in low (the one “up” gear), then click it down once, you’d be in neutral, and could start it. Also, right behind the shift lever, there is a little, uh, spindle or something which turns as you shift gears. It has a red piece of plastic on one side of it, and when it’s in neutral, the red piece is pointing forward.
After making sure it’s in neutral, starting it is a matter of a) making sure it’s switched to “on” or “run” (which I forget an embarrasing percentage of the time, and tire my arm out trying to start it), b) pulling the small lever near the right hand-grip, which I understand is an engine compression release, and c) yanking the pull cord on the engine.
From what I understand, the engine compression release part isn’t strictly necessary, but it makes getting the engine turning a lot easier, then after a partial turn, it falls back closed and the engine will actually begin to fire up. I could be totally wrong about this part of the starting process, because I’m basically a moron about engines.
Hope that applies to the wheeler you’ve got. Don’t go up a hill that’s too steep. 
galt, what your talking about is exactly what i have. The problem is that you CANNOT shift it into neutral when the motor is off. You cannot start it with it in gear either. i remember being warned not to turn it off in neutral, but i know that their is some override mechanism or something to get it back into neutral.
Try this forum
http://www.atvsource.com/viewers/forum/index.htm
Huh, I’m pretty sure the ones I’ve used could be shifted while off, but it might take some extra pushing. You could try rocking it back and forth while you try to click the shifter up, to vary how the pressure is being applied to the gears…