ATV Repair and Maintenance 96 sportsman 500 won’t start or run in neutral July 4, 2015 I have a 96 sportsman 500 that was running fine yesterday till I hit a mud hole and it died. I got it cleaned up and running now but it will only start if it’s in gear and dies if I shift to neutral. Any ideas? Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Related