unit operated fine when put away last fall, installed battery - solenoid just clicked. had new starter, didn't help. external battery, didn't help. clean grounds didn't help. switched relays around under front rack, didn't help. found unit will start fine if I probe the brown-white wire on starter relay under front rack and turn key... essentially grounding that wire through test light. where do I go from here?

 

Think you found your problem. Sounds like a ground problem in the relay wiring harness section.Can't remember if you can get to the internal wiring or if it's sealed to where you can't..Touching the brown/white with the test light is just completing the ground path. Worst case scenario is to run a jumper from the brown/white to another good frame ground and try it. Item #2 Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Honda, Arctic Cat & Polaris OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse

 

Thanks for your answer, I had come to the same conclusion... but it make me nervous to just ground the wire. The brown-white wire seems to go to pin E70 on the ECM. I make the assumption that it grounds the wire depending on the status of something to let the unit start. I don't know how to determine what the ecm is monitoring to actuate the ground for the relay to engage and the the soleniod to kick in. I have brake lights when I press handle, kill switch seems to work, shift lever registers in digital display. could it be the ecm isn't grounded properly and hence not able to ground the wire like it should?

 

Still think you have a ground problem in the relay wiring harness. Just install a jumper wire to the brown/white wire to a good frame ground or another Brown(ground) wire. This is the same thing that people are doing when they loose a ground on the awd system. Just tie the brown to the brown/white to complete the ground path. If it doesn't work,you can always remove the jumper and check out other things .