I have a 1998 Yamaha Badger 80. If the quad is not warmed up and I try to start it with the starter it will crank & crank but does not fire at all. If I push it in neutral and throw it into first gear start. Once it warms up and has been running for about 10 to 15 minutes, the starter will start the quad perfectly as soon as I hit the button. If I then let it sit for more than 15 minutes, then same problem happens again where I have to push it to start it. I have changed the spark plug, installed a new battery and battery tender, cleaned the carb (twice) with no improvement. I also checked that the spark plug had spark when cranking the starter. Any idea what could be going on here? Thank you for any help.

 

I had the same issue too,.... Check/set Valves and it should start easier.

 

Actually had that year of Badger for my first bike. Had the exact same problem, and got used to giving it the good push start in second to get it going to start with before we found someone who knew how to fix it. He set it on its back and adjusted the valves and it was fixed in 10 minutes--my first quad maintenance experience.