[Countryrider08]

2003 Rancher, good condition, but yesterday when i was riding it, all of a sudden it started sputtering and shut off. It cranked back up but i was only able to go as high as 9mph in 2nd gear and 13 mph in 3rd gear before it'd sputter and shut off. Today it won't even go in first gear. Has plenty of gas. Any thoughts to try at home before i take it to the shop?

 

[retro]

Check if the fuel cap vent hose is plugged up by loosening the fuel cap a bit while riding it. It sounds like the petcock valve and/or fuel strainer screen in the tank might be plugging up though. You can check that by pulling the fuel hose off from the carb, aim the hose end into a bottle, turn the fuel on and observe the flow from that hose. If it is feeble the tank will need to be removed and the petcock assembly taken out for cleaning/repair. Of course, it could be as simple as a failing spark plug or water in the plug boot. Cleaning the boot, dielectric greasing and putting a new NGK in it would fix that.

Welcome to the forums!

 

[mrbb]

drain tank, sounds like maybe water in your fuel, or bad fuel