Starter seems to turn backwards

I have a Yamaha Bear Tracker 250 that has been sitting up for a few years and while trying to start it the starter would only spin. I removed starter and I beleive it is truning backwards. What is the cause and what's the fix?  

sounds like the bendix isn't kicking in.  
Keep it RUBBER SIDE DOWN!!

if you removed or replaced the battery you might have hook up the battery cables backwards, this will cause the starter to turn backwards,  red goes to positive, black negative.  
07 prowler

on the yamaha beartracker you cannot hook the battery up backwards without blowing the main fuses.
and or burning up the cdi box.  
Keep it RUBBER SIDE DOWN!!

I have a "90 350 big bear & did rebuild on the starter. I seems to have the same problem! You can't hook up the battery backwards, still seems like the starter is running backwards.  

iS IT POSSIBLE TO SWITCH THE CABLES TO THE STARTER?.  

only power cable to the starter, it grounds through the machine.  

no bendix on these starters.  

Try taking the starter apart, and clean it real good. This happened to me, and by cleaning it, it started workind properly again.  

I have a 98 big bear SE and the starter stopped working so I ordered a brush kit. They sent me one with the positive and negative brushes on opposite sides. This caused the starter to run backwards. Hope this helps.  

I have a 98 big bear SE and the starter stopped working so I ordered a brush kit. They sent me one with the positive and negative brushes on opposite sides. This caused the starter to run backwards. Hope this helps.