On our Pantera 90 ATV when I go to start it frequently it will delay a second and then the starter will engage. Is this a sign of the starter relay going bad? I do have a parts bike I can swap parts off of.

 

When you say it delays a second, I need more info:

When you press the start button do you hear a click, the starter tries to turn, stalls, and then after a second starts turning the starter at a faster speed?

Or are you trying to say that you push the starter button and *nothing* happens - then a second later the starter solenoid clicks and the starter takes off?

I have some ideas for the first scenario, the second one I have no idea without further measurements...

If it is the first scenario then try jumping your quad battery to your car battery using jumper cables (use extra care to get the polarity right). Does the hesitation go away? If so your battery has a weak cell (or it is discharged). Check your charging system to make sure your battery is getting properly charged, and if it isgetting charged properly then get a new battery.

If jumping doesn't help look for bad connections to your starter, or on the ground return path back. Starters draw a lot of current, so bad connections that drop volts at the large current draw of a starter will get hot. Feel around while the starter is hesitating. Hot connections are bad connections....