I thought I would chime in and ask if anyone knows how many volts it takes to turn over the starter on a Polaris sportsman 800? I have a brand new Sportsman 800 Touring and when I try to start it the starter just clicks. I through a battery charger on it for about half hour or so and then it will start. I have checked the volts when the atv is not running and I'm getting 12.46 volts from the battery. When I try to start it the meter drops to 11.2 volts. After I get it started, I check it again at 2500 rpms and I get 14.4 volts to the battery. The charging systems seems to be working but I'm not sure if I have a bad starter or battery.
I thought 12.46 volts was sufficient enough to start the atv but maybe not. I was hoping that someone here would have a good idea or experienced the same or similar problem. It's still under warranty and I'm going to take it in to the dealer, but if it is a battery I'd prefer to replace it with something more reliable. However, at 12.46 volts and holding I'm not sure thats the problem.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
knackll

 

I would carefully remove all cables from the battery and starter an clean them with WD-40 or similar, then coat all connections with waterproof grease. You may have some corrosion from moisture. You say it's brand new, well how long has it been sitting in the crate or showroom?.

The other thing I would do is buy a Battery Tender, to keep your battery 'topped up'.

 

A battery tender does sound like a good idea. I just can't believe 12.4 volts isn't enought to turn the starter over. I had a couple of jetskis 1100's and they sat for weeks without being started and fired right up. This sits for a day and she's done. As for the cables they are clean. no corrosion to speak of. I'm sure this sat in a crate for at least 6 months before I bought it.
Thanks for your help

 

Do you have a digital voltmeter-mulitester-?. You may have a voltage leak somewhere in the harness, due to wire chafing on the frame. Since you still have warranty, take it to the dealer, don't try to fix it yourself. They may void your warranty if you do.

Before you go, have your battery load tested by a reputable motorcycle shop. The Polaris dealer might have'quick charged' the battery to get it out the door and burned up the battery so it won't hold a charge. You got voltage, but no reserve. New batteries really need a 2 amp trickle charge for 24 hrs to do it right.

Batteries aren't covered by warranty, so if yours is fried, replace it and take the old one back and yell at the dealer, if you want. He may give you store credit for goods and services, or he may just say 'Sorry, Charlie, you're SOL'.

As for good battery replacements, lots of folks like Odyssey line. Another is Optima. Both are sealed, the Odyssey can be mounted any way, even upside down.
Find out the Amp Hour rating for your current battery, and either match it, or go higher. Go higher if using a winch alot, or starting the quad often.

And unless both are fully charged at time of purchase, trickle charge them both before use.

 

Hi guys:
I have the same problem. Polaris 800 Sportsman solenoid just clicks. If you short across the solenoid then it turns over and starts great. I bought a new solenoid and same deal. Just clicks. I'm getting about 11.7 volts at the power wire that engages the solenoid. 12.5 volts at the battery. Is the onrush current required by the battery so high that it kicks out the solenoid. Any other ideas?