Hello, I'm completely new to atv's in general and I recently got a 1992 trx300 ... utility?..... Anyway its 2 wheel drive and after a little work cleaning up the carborator, buying a new battery, new air filter, and new hoses, and some new wireing I believe its mostly in working order. The lights work now, the nuetral light as well, and I believe all the gears do as well.

However, though I know my way around basic mechanics I know almost nothing about how to run the thing, or start it. Is it ok to start it by pulling it? Pitting it in gear and pulling it behind a truck or trying to start it down a hill? I want to try those because the kick starter is giving me problems. It only seems to catch every once in a while, most of the time when pushed it just whizzes and clicks. Anyone familiar with this kinda problem and would you know how expensive it would be to fix? I just wanted to see how good the engine was before I put time into taking the whole thing apart.

I'm getting a clymer (i think thats how it's spelled) service manual but i'm not sure how much that will help me. So any advice you more learned folk could give me would be great.
Thanks

 

No one have any Ideas?

Specifically I need to know if its ok to start this thing by putting it in gear and pulling it, and what it would take to fixa kickstart that doesn't always catch.

 

Okay. I'm not much of an expert on kickstarters (note the year of the bike in my sig.) but I feel quite comfortable giving my two cents on clymers. They are a godsend. Your kickstarter problem will most likely require splitting the cases, but with cylmer in hand, you'll feel like a master mechanic anyways, so don't sweat it. Not only does it tell you how to rip apart and reassemble your bike completely, it has great troubleshooting stuff. No. I don't work for them.

 

Thats good to hear, I wasn't sure which manual to get, and I found a good deal on the clymer, so I bought it instead of the Honda Version. Its good to make a good choice.

Anyway, I want to try and get the thing running soon, got some work i want to use it for, so until I get my manual and start fixing the kick starter does anyone know if its ok to start the quad by pulling?

 

It won't damage anything-if it works. Usually on semi-autos (which i think that bike is???) the centrifugal clutch wont engage unless the motor is actually spinning, so it's impossilble to pop start it. If it's a clutch, its a peice of cake. Push it as fast as you can with everything on, hop on, put it into 2nd or 3rd, and let the clutch out until she fires.

 

yea. forgot. buying the honda manual would have made you extra mad. OEM manuals are rather technical and tend to require lots of specialty tools that you can usually improvise your way around buying-as clymer will instruct you.

 

Hmmm, yeah, I'm pretty sure its semi-auto, no clutch that I can see. So there must be no other way to start the thing without the kick starter?? Hmm, I wonder if I can put in an electric starter. I suppose i may just have to wait until my manual comes.

 

Putting in an e-start would be satanic. The mounts on e-start bikes are all molded into the case and stuff and the flywheel has to be toothed. I'll stop blabbing. The manual is far more concise than I and is far less time consuming. I donno how you'd start it. kickers are generally regared as a reliable primary starting apparatus, or a trusty back-up. I'm not gonna lie. Its kinda unlucky that it exploded.

 

what's the battery for if it's a kick start?

 

I was told that because there was no magneto and it operated on a coil that it needed at least some power in the battery in order to get spark. Heck, maybe this thing has a starter, I don’t know I haven’t looked for one. I’m kinda new to these things so I wouldn’t notice.

Hmm, there is a start button, and it activates a solenoid near the battery, I’m not exactly sure what it’s for though. And its too dark to go out and check right now. I’ll do it tomorrow.