My 2003 250 4x4 had some issues. When i got the atv, the voltage regulator wires were corroded and ruined. I replaced it, and the battery and all was well until a hunting trip.

on the trip the atv died while running. We packed up and went home. At home we found the positive cable off the battery is burned a little, the battery may have touched the frame, i wasnt riding, i dont know. Anyway, we replaced the stator, voltage regulator(again), and the battery since it shorted.

now, it has a new stator, regulator, and battery. The issue is it dies if you disconnect the battery while it is running, which i have been told, should not happen. I have been told it should run with no battery even installed, hence the pull start.

btw, regulator puts out 14.5 volts while running, stator puts out 30 to 50 volts ac while running. I think it needs a battery at all times, but am not sure. It’s my first atv ever and im not knowledgeable about them

 

Sometimes the voltage at idle speed is not enough to keep the engine running without a battery. I would never trust "what some folks say" theroy for trouble shooting my equipment. It pays to do thorough research on your issues to know for sure...After replacing all that stuff, if it idles and runs well, I wouldnt look for a problem that you may not even have. Many engines with electronic fuel injection and a computor to operate the engine do require a bettery to keep the engine running, some Hondas need a battery to shift gears, you cant even get them back into neutral with a dead battery.

 

I try not to go off of “what some guy said”, but i tried looking this up and get conflicting answers or the one i hate, “it depends”. Which is crap, either it needs a battery hooked up, or it doesnt. I hate this because i can troubleshoot radios, tv sets, all kinds of electronics, but slap an engine on it and im kinda out of my element