The AWD when on is two wheel drive until the rear wheels slip and then the front will drive. When the AWD is on, an electric clutch in the front gear case will lock on when the rear wheels are turning faster than the front wheels. This feature can be altered or defeated if the wheel or tire sizes are changed and in a turn it becomes 3 wheel drive as the tire on the outside of the radius has to turn faster than the inside tire. Thus the faster running wheel unlocks from the drive.

 

@LATEBURD, thanks for the help with this and the schematic. Once I got through an issue with the gear position indicator lights not coming on, and hence the AWD not connecting, I noticed something, I have power to the hubs in Low and High with the AWD switch on, but not reverse, Is that by design or a fault?

 

Oh, nevermind, I can see from the schematic that the Reverse/Purple wire doesnt go anywhere but the dashlight and the reverse override switch/control module. No AWD in reverse.EDIT---LATEBURD corrected my error----there is AWD in reverse if you hit the Reverse override button. Weird, but OK.

 

You can have AWD in reverse by holding the reverse override button - it engages AWD in reverse as well as overrides the engine speed limit.

 

OK, I can kind of see it now. Those wires from the Reverse Speed limiter go into this un-labeled block on the schematic. Is this a relay/isolator block or something?? Its got full time hot, chassis ground, Switched power, reverse over ride, CDI box, Fan motor, all coming/going to it.

 

That plug is the connector to the Sure Power module

You have it wrong - the only wire between the speed limiter module is the yellow/red wire - yellow red is a pass through to one of the three yellow wires from the alternator. The red/yel wire provides an AC sine wave the limiter module can use to determine engine RPM.

The blk wire is ignition kill, yel/red is AC, gy/org is reverse override and the unit is grounded by it's mounting to the frame.

The purple wire goes to the reverse light and the handlebar switch assy where it is normally connected to the gry/org wire - pushing the override button disconnects the purple wire from gry/org and connects purple (12v) to the gry/wht wire (Hilliard magnet coil) enabling AWD when in reverse.

 

This is fun knowing the deeper workings of this. Lets see if I understand this on the reverse cut out. I shift to reverse and if the RPM is low or at idle, there is no black wire connection (engine cut out). Hit the throtle in reverse WITHOUT hitting the override button, the AC signal on Y/R ramps up, making the B signal start to cut out the CDI. Hit the override button, the RSL module stops the B signal allowing full RPM range.

 

That is correct - the cut out RPM is preset by the module manufacturer to keep the speed to about 7 mph which may vary depending on final gearing reduction ratio and tire diameter, so about 7 to 10 mph. Also when the reverse over ride is pressed and held the 12v on the purple wire that was going to the reverse speed limiter on the grey/orange wire is redirected to the grey/white wire to activate AWD.