Hi just brought a 2008 efi 500 and it wont start in gear and you have to put it in park or neutral every time you go to start it up, I thought if you applied the brake it would start but it doesn't. I have owned 2 500 1998 and 2000 sportsman and never had that issue, is there anything I can check or change as this is really frustrating thanks

 

Thats the way it was designed, its a safety feature. You should not let it idle in gear as you will hour glass the belt - neutral or park is fine.

 

That's not how it was designed. I have the same exact model and can start mine in gear as long as I hold the brake lever in. If I'm going to let it sit and idle I normally put it in park, but will use neutral some times.

 

Thanks for the replies, is there anything I can check as mine wont start with the left hand brake or foot brake applied

 

Mine wont either, nothing to check. Polaris is known for fodel changes like this, my frirnds 04.5 500HO you need to step on foot brake to shift in to certain gears.

You cant start any of the new models if the hand brake is not locked on.

 

Mine has started in gear with the hand brake applied since day one. After 10 years I still couldn't tell you if will start in gear with the foot brake or not. I'm sure I tried it but can't remember for sure. And I doubt that during the year ours were built that they changed how it's supposed to operate.

My best guess is it just doesn't know you have the hand brake on. Some of the wires on the left handlebar would have to send a signal wherever it goes. You could do a continuity test, and if there's an open circuit trace the wires to see where the problem is. It could just be a bad connection where the wires are plugged in.

 

Most of the newer ones have the pressure switch on the brake line connector block that controls the brake lights and also completes the circuit for the starter to operate. Don't remember off hand on the 2008 models.Too may changes over the years to keep up with.

 

I think most models wouldn't start in gear. Neither my Brute Force 650 nor my current King Quad would start in gear. I still have to pull the hand brake to get the King Quad to start in neutral. No park position available, it has the old school L-H-N-R configuration with a manual parking brake substituting for park in the transmission. I wish the machines with park would still have a manual parking brake also. Its nice to lock it in if you stop for a moment on uneven ground so your machine doesn't roll away.

 

Later on I started thinking that's probably how it worked, but it was 2:15 in the morning and I wasn't getting back online to post it.

 

I didn't know there were ATVs without parking brakes. That sounds kind of stupid. I lock mine when I transport my quad so it won't roll away if my tie-downs break.