Lost reverse in 2002 Honda Rancher 350 ES 4x4

[heavy4x4]

Hi all,

I was driving my four wheeler this past weekend and can no longer shift into reverse. The up and down shifting works fine in N through 5, it just doesn't do anything when I want to shift to reverse.

Any thoughts? What should I try for troubleshooting and fixing it? The 'wheeler is at a remote cabin that I'll be at again this coming weekend - would like to go up there with the steps (and tools) necessary to diagnose and fix this thing.

Thanks,
-Steve

[heavy4x4]

Think I've narrowed it down to the reverse switch either being broken or not being actuated correctly. If I disconnect that wire and ground it to the engine, the ES will shift into reverse just fine. Plugged back in I get nothing.

Thinking about maybe wiring up an external switch that serves the same purpose but doesn't take removing the engine to replace...

-Steve