So my subject line pretty much says it all!
She starts just fine in neutral, revs and idles perfect. Go to shift into forward, and it will grind. If you force it into gear, she stalls. Same in reverse. Same in Hi or Low. AWD or 2WD.
So I am thinking she is sort of stuck in gear, although I can rev her hard in neutral,and she doesn't try to move.
I pulled the clutch cover and everything looked OK, I'm a bit of a noivce, so not sure what I would be looking for anyways!
The shift links all look good,not too loose or too tight, but I might undo them today and see if that matters.

Any ideas where I could start looking? Sportsman 450.

 

so what happens when you start it in gear? does it try to move(creep ahead)? assuming this is a ebs clutch set up it sounds like the one way bushing in the primary clutch(the ebs system0 is going bad which will make the bike do what it is doing

 

Correct. Starting in gear causes her to creep ahead, but won't start.
Would this be a complex job to repair? She was working fine until one second later, when shut off, we went to restart, and she started doing this. Was tough area though, deep mud, and hauling some heavy stuff.

Thank you.

 

there is only 2 things that cause the bike to creep or grind. 1st one and easiest is that the engine mounts have broke letting the engine come out of align with the driven(secondary) clutch. 2nd is the most common where as the ebs bushing in the primary clutch has worn out and needs replacing. this is a job you can not do your self as it requires taking the primary clutch apart with special tools. just a side note, if the belt is not correct(use oem only for best results) or it is totally worn it might do it as well. the belt with the 2 clutches work together to make the ebs work.

 

If it's the right belt, and it sounds like it is, then what stendori covered is all I can think of. It sounds like the belt is too tight or out of alingment because of the things he mentioned. If the RPMs are really high it could make the belt grab and creep but it sounds like this just happened on its own.

 

RPMS are very normal when starting in neutral. Nice calm idle.
The clutch was replaced about 200 hours ago, so I am hoping it's just the belt out of alignment. The clutch was one expensive fix!
She shifts perfectly when shut off. You can feel it slide into Fwd or Rev, even Low. No extra pressure required. When it's running, you get that "newbie with a standard" gear grind, and if you force it into gear, she lurches forward about a foot and stalls immediately. Same if you try to start in gear, only no sustained crank, she'll just kind of lurch a few inches.
I'll take a look at the belt and hopefully I can determine if it is aligned or not.
Thanks to both of you for weighing in, I appreciate it!

 

take the clutch cover off and watch the belt when its idling in neutral, if it s really turning fast instead of not moving or barely moving then that is the issue. its like trying to shift a standard with out using the clutch.

 

Spinning very fast. Yes, a local shop said "it sounds like your clutch won't disengage". So she's going on the trailer for a little ride to the shop!

Thanks.