My 2000 sportsman 500 suddenly developed a problem .. would not run above and idle. I looked at everything and a friend said maybve the rev limiter was the problem. I called the local dealer and explained the problem .. they said cam shaft.. right off the bat. Seemed funny that that could be it .. running fine one day and dead the next. So i kept playing .. I had no idea where the rev limiter was but I was puttering up the driveway with it (still hoping it was some sort of carb problem) and I wiggled the two sets of wires going into the start/ light/ rev limit switch on the left handle bar and it came alive and took off!! So I know it's some sort of electirical problem but not sure what?? The switch itself ($89 on ebay 4010262) or the rev limiter switch everyone talkes about (where ever that is) or maybe something else! Has anyone had a similar problem?

 

yep u just need to remove the black wire from the rev limiter box. usually under the handlebars on the front side of the plate there. probably have to remove your front fenders to get to it

 

Remove front rack then remove the cover under it, the rev limiter is under there.

 

its the yellow button on the left hand handle bar so you when you push it in it overrides the rev limiter. if its spitting ,sputtering when you try to go beyond say 1/4 throttle then the override is kicking in. check all connections bad corrsion and maybe put some di electric grease on the connections. some of the older 500's did have soft cams and would have no power once the cam lobs wore off and would sorta work the same way as you described but would guess its not that. imo.

 

OK .. more and more frustrated. some simple questions here .. other threads I read on this rev limiter talk about the speedometer... so my first questiojn is will this rev limitor kick in if I am in netural and trying to rev it up? In other words I get teh spitting and sputtering even if I have it parked and try to rev it? Could it still be my rev limiter? can it act up intermitedly? reving her in inetural it will sometimes catch and act good .. let up on the throtal and try and goose it again and it spits and sputters? That is why my first guess was some carb problem or a loose wire touching something? Lastly If I should still look at the rev limiter.. what the heck does it look like!! Black? square, round .. how many wires coming out of it? This is very confusing .. I have read advice on just to unplug it and other threads where you ahve to jump wires and add diods? any help please!!