I'm looking for any information that would help me to dissable the "start in neutral only" feature on my bike. I ride a 99 400 4x4 prarie.
I got stuck the other day and the motor stalled. I had a hard time getting the bike back into neutral in order to start it because the drivetrain was in such a bind. Thing's where looking pretty bad until the tow bike(polaris mag 500) let up on the rope and somewhat relaxed the drivetrain, which allowed me to get the bike back to neutral.
I don't want this "feature" to bite me again, any suggestions?

 

i have a 99 300 4x4 praire and i would also like to be able to start the bike in any gear. i have the maint./repair manual . i'll look into this and let you know if i find something.

 

A short term solution to this, and one that can't be used in every "stuck" situation, is to use the pull starter. I found out that it will crank the engine in any gear as long as the switches are in the "on" position and, of course, you pull the compression release ****. I wouldn't want to use it if I were stuck in deep water with the possibility of letting water get into the mechanism. I, too, would like to make this mod to my bike for the very same reason.

 

Dave,
This is the second time I've typed this because they didn't like my password, so I hope I can send it this time!
I have a /97 Prairie 400 4x4. You can phone your dealer and ask if the starter wiring has changed since /97, but I doubt it. Let's hope not!
Gordon Banks used to own a /97 also. In May/97, he posted a solution which was very well explained which I saved, and since I can't explain it any better, I'll copy it word for word:
"To Modify A Kawasaki Bayou or Prairie To Start In Any Gear: WHAT TO DO: First remove the seat. Near the battery you will see a black plastic slide-in tray on which are two relays, both of which have black rubber covers. The larger of the two is the Starter Relay, which we'll leave alone. The smaller relay is the Starter Circuit Relay, which disables the Starter Relay except when the gear selector is in neutral. The Starter Circuit Relay has a connector attached with four wires; brown, green, and two blacks. Pull this connector off of the relay, and then, if you like, you can remove and save the relay, or leave it in place on the black plastic tray. Now make a jumper wire to connect the two black wires at the four-wire connector. Make sure the jumper wire is secure, and then tape or fasten the connector to the black plastic panel near its original position. Replace the black plastic panel, and you're done. To reverse the modification,just remove the jumper wire and replace the relay. WHAT IT DOES: The Starter Circuit Relay disables the Starter Relay except when the gear selector is in neutral. This modification enables the Starter Relay any time the ignition switch is ON, and the starter button is pressed. At the four wire connector: 1: With the Starter Circuit Relay connected, the starter motor will work only when the gear selector is in neutral, the ignition switch is on, and the starter button is pressed. 2. With a jumper wire connecting the two black wires, the starter motor will work whenever the ignition key is ON, and the starter button is pressed. 3. As a possible theft deterrant, without the relay OR the jumper wire installed, the starter motor will not work at all."
I have a shop manual for my Prairie, so I checked to see if Gordon's solution would work, and it made perfect sense to me, although I haven't modified mine. I hope this works for you.Good luck.
Jim Young, B.C., Canada.

 

Wow!, Thanks for the info, I'll try it next week when I have some days off. I also have a shop manual, but it's for my 97 4x4 prarie, which I traded in for the 99 model. Most of the info looks the same for both quad's, except the tranny and speedo. Thanks for the post, I'll let you know how it works out.

 

Great Post!! I ran out and tried it on my Prairie 300 4x4 and it worked exactly like you described. Thanks for the info!

 

i just made the modification to my 99 300 4x4 praire and it works great. thanks so much for the info.

 

jscyoung, I just performed the mod and it works great and was easy. The Prarie starter circuit Relay is by itself in a little rubber sealed cannister near the battery.
Jrallen1, The pullstar trick worked also, wish I'd tried that when I was in a bind.
thanks again.