Yesterday I started my sportsman 400 (2001)(398miles) and everything worked fine. I drove it 50 yards and shut it off for about 5 minutes to empty a cart I had behind it. When I was finished I hopped on the s'man, turned the key on, and pushed up on the starter button, all I could get out of it was a single click that came from the starter. Thank goodness for the recoil. When the key switch is in the on position, all lights and indicater lights work just like on t.v. but when i push up on the starter button, all that happens is the click at the starter. Any ideas? if it's the starter are they hard to remove? I'll shut up now and appreciate any feed back. thanks in advance...mike

 

Better grab the test light or meter and probe the starter wire at the solenoid or where it connects to the starter. when you go to start it, you should have battery voltage there. If you do, take the starter off, remove the brush cap, and clean the armature with some fine sandpaper. Make sure the brushes aren't sticking either. Lightly grease the bendix and gears, then put it back together.You must have gotten a little moisture in it. Hope that might help. That might not be the problem but seems to happen the most. Bubba

 

Before going to all the trouble of pulling the starter clean ALL the conections on the battry and the starter relay.Then if it dont start check batrry voltage and make sure it is going through the relay to the battry.The relay goes bad more than the starters do.