Ask The Editors: Big Read Electric Start Conversion

Yes it can be done but no, it won’t be a breeze.

Can it be done? Absolutely. Is it a simple plug & play conversion? No, not exactly. But what helps a lot is that Honda did offer electric start versions of the model. That means sourcing the parts you need for the conversion should all be available and actual OEM bits to boot.

We haven’t attempted such a conversion ourselves but, in studying the schematics, looks like you would need the complete wiring harness, solenoid and rectifier, starter motor, reduction gears, flywheel from the electric start incarnation of the same size engine model, and of course a switch and battery.

Don’t forget Honda did use the “Big Red” moniker to describe two different ATCs – the ATC200E (above) and the ATC250ES (below).

Then there’s the issue of clearances. We can’t be positive here but it does look like you may have to swap the left side engine cases to those of the electric start version as well to compensate for the internal additions.

While this all sounds like a lot, this is a mod that shouldn’t require massive reconfigurations to the frame or the plastics to accomplish.

What you would want to do is pick up a quality service manual for the Big Red, which should include schematics for both the recoil start and electric start models and use these to guide you through the install.

We won’t pretend this will be a quick and easy swap but it does appear doable if you have a little mechanical ingenuity and patience, it is possible to make this conversion.

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