The symptom you described about smoke from the wiring when the starter (big fat) ground wire is bad or disconnected is classic. But damaging the CDI and/or coil is not. Usually this damages the wiring only - and it is usually only the small ground wires that can't handle the enormous starter current that get damaged.

If you're not in a hurry, then waiting for the CDI/coil is a good plan. But another possibility is that you've burn't open a small ground wire somewhere. So what were the symptoms? Do you have spark? I assume the starter turns...

 

The starter turns, but after the smoke incident, I pulled the plug and no spark. I will look a little closer today, but I was a bit too angry yesterday.

 

I checked the wiring, and found one ground wire fairly charred. It still had continuity, but I replaced it anyhow. Everything else looked fine. Still waiting on parts.

 

Okay, so lets try this again..... New coil, and new CDI = Intermittant spark. What the heck!? One of the tabs on the wiring harness that plugs into the CDI has lost it's springy contact piece! Happy ending to this story is the ATV is running, I have not idea if it is because the new parts, or because I discovered the wiring harness was messeed up. Anyhow, she runs like a top, and will be baack together and for sale right away. My new (non-current) Yamaha 350 Kodiak IRS is what I roll now.

 

i was going to throw my quad in the bin until i seen this post. Blue white stator wire close to zero ohms when conected to the harnes but 285 when disconected. The trigger wire was being used in a kill switch line with the new harness i bought, wired directly to cdi from motor and bam SPARK!!!! I have full spark thank you so much. Ive been racking my brain over this **** for weeks.