In gear start protection

[two stroke mick]

My 2001 rope start Johnston 2 stroke will start in gear. Can someone give me a basic understanding of how this protection system works.

Is it mechanical or electrical or a fusion of both

Tsm

[SimonStDavids]

On my Yamaha, it is a switch in the control box so I suppose a combination of both. If the lever isn’t in the neutral position it won’t start.

[Fenlander]

Assuming it is fitted to your model usually you can look under the hood as you move the gear selector to see the gear shaft operating either a mechanical stop to the flywheel or an elec cutout switch.

[beamishken]

If its a rope start version its likely a mechanical stop
Iirc on a johnson its a white plastic paul that stops the pull start but ive seen them removed before as they occasionally fail to disengage and prevent you from starting the engine