Hey guys, new to the site, looks pretty helpful. Sportbikes are my #1 love but my ATVs always get a workout in the winter. Anyway, I did a real quick search and did not find anything on this topic, but I was wondering how hard it would be to change my 2002 Recon ES to a foot shift. It looks like a foot shift pedal could be attached to the shift bolt that the shift tool attaches to.

The Recon has been an excellent ride and has stood up to all the punishment I've given it, just want a change for fun. I've already got 1 electric shift.
Thanks again guys, any help would be appreciated.

 

i think you mean a rancher ES. the recon is a 250 2x4 that is foot shift. Just so you know... maybe why your getting less responses

 

nope. it is a recon es. got 2 of em. check out honda's website. they make a recon es as well.

 

Check out the condition of your battery before giving up on the ES completely. Battery condition has a lot to do with how reliable the shifting is. You described no noise when shifting which is one symptom of this problem. I had the same prob on my 2001 Rancher. A trickle charger cured the problem. SOme times the Rancher sits for a weeke or two in extremely cold condsitions when I do not have an opportunity to ride it as often as I might like. There are several other possibilities but I would start witht he most likely.

 

 

The es models, all of them, were designed to use the shifter motor, and not the shaft. Youll notice theres no way the emergency handle will stay on by itself, and they designed it that way.
Usaually the shifters work pretty well, and its just keeping up with the maintance items, keeps it working. Check the battery, the connections, and do the clutch adjustment.
If after doing those, and you still see shifting problems, youre best bet, is to get the clymers, or the honda service manual. Theres a detailed troubleshooting procedure, which almost anyone can follow, that will step you thru the checks, to find out whats wrong. Its usually, low battery or a battery going bad....crusty battery connections...blown fuse...or clutch adjustment.
If a component failed...its would just stop working, and wouldnt be intermitent.

 

The ES isnt as complicated as some people see it as. Majority of the issues that come up could be cause by corroded wires, simply from not washing the machine after mudding or whatever. The mud holds moisture, which will progressively corrode any fresh metal it is covering. Washing the machine with hot soapy water will not only clean the mud off, the warm water dries quickly. Most of the connections are water resistant, but the mud has a tendency to dry out some of the rubber insulators and make them shrink, letting water in. A good idea with ANY quad is to bring it to a hand car wash and clean it off good before you store it. I clean down by the angle sensor and the ECM on my machine because those area's are really exposed to mud and stuff.

The rest of the issues are just sensors, which can be fixed on the outside of the machine. Most can be checked with an ohm-meter.