Reverse drive assembly for motorized vehicle

A method of operating a motorized vehicle, the motorized vehicle including an engine, a transmission with a main shaft assembly and a counter shaft assembly, a starter motor, and a reverse drive assembly, the method comprising:

• starting the engine by engaging an engine gear with a first pinion at a first end of a motor shaft of the starter motor and operating the starter motor;
• driving the motorized vehicle forward using multiple gear ratios established by gear pairs of the main shaft assembly and the counter shaft assembly;
• stopping the motorized vehicle;
• establishing a reverse power path from a second pinion at a second end of the motor shaft of the starter motor to a main shaft gear through a reverse drive gear train of the reverse drive assembly by putting an output gear of the reverse drive gear train into engagement with the main shaft gear;
• and
• driving the motorized vehicle in reverse by transferring power from the starter motor through the reverse power path to the main shaft gear,
• wherein an input gear of the reverse drive gear train remains in constant mesh with the second pinion during the starting of the engine, the forward driving, and the reverse driving.