my 03 and 04.5 700s both had it. You only had to step on the brake when going in to park and hi range.

 

Only the first 2-3 model years with in-line shifting had the lockout feature. You shouldn't have to press the brake very hard unless something is misadjusted. If a person mainly trail rides in High, this feature can be a bit annoying. If you plow snow, it is actually nice. You can "slap" the handle all the forward and you will be in Low and yank it all the back and be in reverse....no thought needed to always land in the proper gear. If you are stuck in thick mud and are trying to work back and forth it can also be nice.

To bypass it, you can disconnect the spring from the foot brake lever. Find a piece of wire, pull the plunger rod outward and tie it off so it can't retract. Another option is to thread the plunger out completely and plug the bore with a very short screw...I believe it is a 3/4 " coarse thread.

 

My 02 700 had the "lockout" for high and park, as does my 05 800. As somebody else stated, it's nice for plowing, but pretty much a PITA for anything else....

 

Ditto on my 07 800. To start the engine while in gear you have to apply the brake, either foot or hand. but you can shift to any gear any time.

 

I cut a coat hanger (metal) and replaced the spring so I do not have to push brake pedal to shift.Just remove spring and put a good strong wire to hold the lock out.This is on a 2004 Sportsman 600..

 

On my 2005 800 I had to pull apart the gear shift lever box - that black box mounted on the tranny where the shift lever arm attaches.

When I did this I found the brake lock out cam washer. It is keyed to fit one-way. However, it appears that if you flip the washer, it can be resinstalled and the lock activated by the brake pedal wouldn't have anything in which to interlock so it would bypass the brake-to-shift function.

I need to replace my gear selector as three of the teeth are sheared off. At that time I will attempt to flip the brake lock-out cam washer.

 

This is a follow-up to the last post. I did, in fact, flip the lock-out cam and it works perfectly!!

Procedure (terminology is mine and may not match the actual name of the parts...):
- Remove right side engine cover and footwell.
- Detach shift linkage bar from rear shift selector arm
- Disconnect shift-position wires from bottom of linkage box (black plastic box on side of transmission. I understand the newer Sportsmans have an aluminum cover)
- Unbolt cover (5 bolts - 10mm??)
- Pull cover off. Caution: There is a spring for the selector arm so be careful not to lose it
- There are two shafts. The rearward shaft was connected to the shifter arm. The foreward shaft is connected inside the tranny.
- If the selector lock-arm came out with the cover then you can remove the lock-out cam from the right shaft. This is a little easier if you pry down on the lock-out pin with a screwdriver. It is located at/about the 4 o'clock position and connects via a spring to the footbrake lever
- Notice it is keyed. But nothing stops it from being replaced after flipping it.
- Flip and reinstall and you will definitely need to depress the lock-out pin to slide it all the way on
- If rear shaft stayed with the cover (mine did) then you must remove it and place it, along with the shifter lock-arm back into the assembly.
- Replace the spring at this time as well and, as the Polaris mechanic told me "grease the crap out of everything in that box"
- Once done reassemble in reverse order
- Shifter now no longer requires the foot-brake to be depressed and no permanent mods were made to your machine.

Sorry, I did not take pics along the way. I am posting this from memory hoping it helps someone.

Enjoy!

 

I had a 2004 that had that setup.I just took out the spring and plunger and put a short bolt and could shift in all gears with no problems.