hit the start button, green light fades, but no click

[rebel33382]

on my 200es, when I hit the stater button, nothing happens except that the green nuetral light dims a little bit. but no click or starter action. Now if I jump the starter solenoind with a screw driver, turns over and fires rightup (with key in on position) any ideas??

[Hair Bear Bunch]

I'm no expert on the 200, but I would be looking for a dirty switch or damaged wiring in the switch line.
If you take the switch apart an short the wires there, if it fires then the switch if faulty/dirty, if not check the loom for damage and check the fuses for dirty/corroded contacts.

[Thorpe]

Check your fuses?

[Name Brand]

The starter solenoid is just a device that connects the positive wire coming off the battery to the wire going to the starter motor. The 'START' buttons activates the starter solenoid. When you hit the 'START' button, the solenoid closes (a couple of copper contacts touch) and the circuit providing battery power to the starter motor is completed. By jumping the contacts on the starter solenoid, you've done what it's supposed to. Since the machine started up when you did, you've verified the battery and starter motor are good and the starter solenoid is not operating. The fuse is also good since your green neutral light is coming on.

There's a few reasons why your solenoid would not be operating. If the copper contacts inside are worn away and are dirty/sooty (think about the scorch that happens due to electrical arc) it will operate less effectively and over time will eventually fail. You should hear a click and nothing else when you hit the 'START' button. This is the sound of the copper contacts hitting each other. The problem is electricity is not carried between them due to erosion and scorching from the arc.

On the automotive side; starter solenoid contacts are often able to be replaced without much difficulty or expense. Some manufacturers use a separate solenoid (same as Honda ATC's setup) while some have the solenoid mounted to the starter motor. The copper contacts are cheap. I've tried to rebuild the starter solenoids for my trikes a few times. They are difficult to take apart without destroying some of the electrical connections and usually stop operating soon after. New contacts are not available and cleaning/wire brushing them won't work for long due to the bigger problem of the contacts being eroded. I recommend buying a new one for your trike. About $80 from the Honda dealer, last time I got one. Take the old one, tear it apart to learn how it operates, then throw it away. A great way to double check is to find a 'known good'. Many starter solenoids on Honda's are exactly the same. Find a buddy with a trike, quad, maybe a motorbike and swap their starter solenoid into yours to check if yours is bad.

If you are not hearing a click it could be that you have a bad connection between the starter solenoid and your 'START' button. You can check your wires and 'START' button quite easily at once. Unplug the small two wire plug that comes out the top of the solenoid. Connect a test light on the end of the plug that comes out of the machine's wire harness. With the key switch to 'ON', hit your 'START' button. If the wires or switch are bad, the test light will not come on. If that happens, inspect your wires, plugs and 'START' button for damage. If the test light comes on, all is working and you have more reason to suspect a bad starter solenoid. If you don't have a test light; put some wires on a taillight bulb and insert each wire into each side of the plug.