I got my first ATV (sig) but there was no owner manual. How do I get it into reverse? I held the red button and shifted down to neutral but it doesnt go further. Is there an auto-shift mode? The foot brake sticks-is the left lever the same action as the foot brake?

 

Ok figured out reverse thanks to earlier post by Spectra. The ESP Auto thing? Stickey foot brake?

 

The left brake lever works the rear brake. Does it work ok?

 

I always cringe when I read an "I boought a used bike but there wan't any owners manual" post. What it probably means is that the previous owner threw it in a drawer somewhere and never looked at it again. What that untimately means is that they were probably slack on maintenance!

Go over your new bike real well! Clean and oil the air filter, change the engine oil and filter, the differential oil (front and rear), spark plug, and by all means get a valve adjustment.

 

I think some times the manual is hard to find on a Rancher if you don't know its there. Look in the top of the little trunk in the back. It is generally inside the white plastic piece that snaps in to place. If the while plastic is still there, just pry it down. Maybe the manual is still there.

Porka, congrats on your new ATV. We have the same one and it has been a terrific, trouble free ATV.

Why when I used the word "t o u g h" it prompts a link to Polaris?? What does "t o u g h" have to do with a Polaris??

I will no longer use that word here. I will use the word "Honda" instead. Honda represents the word t o u g h better than polaris does.

So from now on, if you read one of my posts and the word Honda is used, read it as t o u g h.

 

The Front brake [right lever] works perfectly--seems to be able to lock up. Rear hand brake is a bit weak, rear foot brake is hard to press and sticks down if forced. Oil is a pint low and a bit dirty. The air box has oil at the bottom inside. I know the machine was rolled because the rear rack was bent down and the dealer so stated. The engine sounds perfect and doesn't smoke. I had to ride it 25 miles home from the dealer and that was my first ATV ride. There is a rear differential?

 

with the ESP on the rancher, you shift it manually with the buttons. that's it. no auto thingy or nothin, you'd have to get a rubicon or Rancher AT or Rincon for that.

the left lever is the same as the foot brake, the cables pull on the same mechanism- if you look at the right-rear wheel where the brake drum is, you'll see two cables hooked up to a lever coming out of the brake drum. Theres little twisty nut things on each cable, those are for adjustment. One is foot brake and one is left hand lever, they work independently too, so you could have one cable disconnected and the other would still work.

remember tho, with all-time 4x4, any brake will cause braking on all 4 wheels, since the front axle is locked to the rear axle, actuating rear brakes will apply the rear drum, but since the front axle is hooked up to the rear, the front will only spin as fast as the rears are spinning, and with the drag of all 4 tires working against one brake, it's better to use both front and rear brakes, other wise just using one will make the brakes wear out really fast. Just use both levers to stop, until you get the foot thing fixed if needed.

Oh yeah, congrats on the machine. If you take care of it, it will take care of you. They are pretty much bullet-proof, aside from a few glitches in the ESP, but they might have already been fixed.

 

Its not really a differential, as it's a solid rear axle, Honda calls it a "rear final gearcase", but yes, there is one. It's the big aluminum thing on the rear axle, has bolts all around it and the rear driveshaft runs into it. theres a drain plug way on the bottom, kinda hidden by the skid plate thing, especially if it's got mud caked in it. the fill hole is the big saucer shaped one on top thats slightly angled. Also, there is a plug on the left side toward the bottom, take that out to check the level. if fluid runs out, then it's full, if not, fill it more. this works best if the machine has been sitting for a while, the fluid is sticky and can stick to the cold gears if the machine has been pushed a few feet. If you decide to change it, however, go drive the machine a ways to warm the fluid up.

Might want to get a service manual for it, so you know where each fill-drain-check plug is.

 

Thanks for all your help, riders. I adjusted the rear brake lever--much better. The foot brake is siezed on the frame-mounted pivot. 6# air makes it handle much better. The manual was not above the white flap.