Hi Im having the same issue on my 04 polaris predator 500. a very reliable machine, was out trail riding and my air box mounts broke and the air box came off and cut 2 of the 3 wires going to the brake tail light when it came loose. the red and brown wires were cut and grounded on the frame when my machine came to a halt on the trail...

Now I have NO power to anything, no lights, starter, nothing. Like the other guy i noticed if I left the key on for awhile the tail light would come on but as soon as i would touch the start button or break pedal i would loose ALL power to the bike. after a short wait the power would come back. I replaced the 20 amp and the 10 amp breakers, mine were nasty. That didnt help. I opened the left handle controls and sprayed it out good, cleaned all the contacts with contact cleaner. nothing changed. This machine has never had a problem. always hit the button and boom shes running. But since the airbox fell of and cut the wires going to the break light I have no power anywhere else.

I do have 12.5 volts at both sides of the 20amp breaker and only when I hit the key I have power at the 10 amp breaker.

I am getting power through all of the fusible links, the grayish wires going to the positive side of the battery.
I did not get power to the red wire on that goes to the cdi box with or without the key on. is this a problem? do it point to the problem?
Im assuming its the solenoid or the rectifier. IF I jump the solenoid the starter does spin but she wont fire, I assume there is no spark as there is no other power.

any ideas?
Thank you for your time

 

Checked the tether connection,pulled the black kill wire from the cdi plus checked the two wires at the clutch lever? If you don't have a manual here's a free one for an 03,same thing as your 04.Polaris predator 500 Service manual - Download service / repair / owner / maintenance manuals, motorcycle tutorials, microfiche

 

ok, im not aware of a tether connection on this machine but ill look for one and check the clutch wires as well. ill also try removing the black kill wire, is there a way to remove it without cutting the wire from the multi wire plug?
Its just weird it was fine until the break wires got cut. I confirmed that my old nasty corroded breakers were STILL working, but I replaced them anyway. there seems to be a component not letting juice though

Thanks for your help OPT i appreciate it. ill look into your recommendations today and let you know how it went

 

Manual wiring diagram list a tether,but lists it as an accessory in another place. Does mention the neutral start diode in the manual link I showed.
NEUTRAL START DIODE TEST
1. Disconnect diode from harness.
2. Using an ohm meter, test for continuity each way.
The diode should only read continuity one
direction if it is working properly.
Y/Blk
Brn/Y
3. Should the diode test good and there is still a
problem, check the clutch switch, wiring and
harness connections.

 

Well i found the ***. plug for the tether, but no tether present on this machine. I can not for the life of me locate the neutral start diode tho to do the test lol.. i feel like ive looked everywhere but i cant find it. I didnt see a location for it in the manual either.

I tested the solenoid and the is no power going through the wire when i push the start button. Im assuming its bad and hoping thats my problem.

I did find and repair a broken wire to the high temp lamp near the key. that made no change in the situation.

As soon as i find the Neutral start diode i will test that.

 

I know you cleaned the left control switch but they've been troublesome in the past on the Predator and other models.Check the connectors leading into it and the wiring along with tracing the wire back from the solenoid. Could be a ignition switch problem or a left control switch problem itself.Plus the clutch switch should have a yellow brown and brown that goes to the solenoid along with a yellow brown that goes from the solenoid to the neutral diode.Schematic says you lose neutral starting capability if it's faulty. Look at the schematic. Plus here's something else.
Check voltage on both sides of circuit breaker,
ignition switch/engine stop switch and
starter button. The voltage on both sides
should be the same. NOTE: The ignition
switch must be on and the engine switch
turned to “RUN”. Check the clutch and neutral
safety start circuits, as they supply the
ground path for solenoid operation. Replace
the defective component(s) or wiring.

 

I found it !!

It was the start button part of the switch cluster. I unplugged the start button part of the switch and , by way of tools connected to R/W and R/BLK together then I jumped the white wire to them and she fired up and ran. As long as I kept the R/W and R/BLK wires touching she run great. the White wire supplies the power to the starter.

So when I plug this back into the switch cluster the start button dose nothing....

So looks like I need a $100 start button cluster. SMH

Thanks for all your help

 

Left control switches can go out at any time. I was kinda wondering when you said you took it apart and cleaned. Most people including me usually have parts flying out all over when I tried..

 

I'll only take one of those switches apart as a last resort, like if I know that's the problem and nothing else I've tried works. Until then I'll use contact cleaner with a straw on the can to squirt it with. I have a can of CRC for things like that, but WD-40 says their contact cleaner works better. It's not cheap, but it's less than the cost of replacing a switch after the parts fly out.
QD® Contact Cleaner, 11 Wt Oz - 02130