New to the forum so i am sorry if this has already been answered. I just bought a 02 honda recon es 250. My wife was riding the other day and was having some trouble trying to get it to shift. So she stopped so I could adjust the idle down a little. When she turned it off, we could not get it to come back on. It was like the battery was dead. No power when you turned the key on. But when I touched the selanoid by the battery with a screwdrive to the 2 bolt heads, It will start right up and run. But then when you turn it off, nothing again. IS this selanoid bad that is mounted by the battery????

 

Not having one to look at, I'd presume it might be the start button, or the selenoid. Do you have a volt meter or test light?

Maybe you could check to make sure there is voltage at the wire from the start button at the selenoid?

 

sounds like a solenoid ,do you get power to the lights when yo turn the key ..

 

Just a fuse???????

 

Good point. Start with the simplest things first.

 

I have no power to lights or anything until I touch the two bolts together with a screwdriver and then it turns over.

 

Check the fuse! Lights and starter are on the fused circuit. Recoil pull starter works I assume???

 

No lights or power to anything... makes it unlikely to be the starter selenoid or switch...

If it is like other Hondas I've worked on it likely has a 30 amp main fuse that would be the first one I'd check.

They are usually set up with the positive battery cable running to the starter relay, and another less heavy wire running from the positive lug on the starter relay to the fuse block to the 30A main fuse, then on to the ignition switch where it powers every thing else.

If it isn't the fuse (or any of the others), I'd start checking for voltage at both sides of the main fuse, then check at the ignition switch connector, then check the other side of the ignition switch with key on...