ABS YAMAHA VMAX 2015 Owners Manual

TABLE OF CONTENTSSAFETY INFORMATION.................. 1-1
DESCRIPTION .................................. 2-1
Left view ......................................... 2-1
Right view ....................................... 2-2
Controls and instruments ............... 2-3
INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL
FUNCTIONS ...................................... 3-1
Immobilizer system......................... 3-1
Main switch/steering lock............... 3-2
Indicator lights and warning lights............................................ 3-4
Speedometer unit ........................... 3-7
Multi-function display ..................... 3-8
Handlebar switches ...................... 3-17
Clutch lever .................................. 3-19
Shift pedal .................................... 3-19
Brake lever.................................... 3-20
Brake pedal .................................. 3-20
ABS .............................................. 3-21
Fuel tank cap ................................ 3-22
Fuel ............................................... 3-23
Fuel tank breather hose and
overflow hose ............................ 3-24
Catalytic converters...................... 3-24
Seats ............................................ 3-25
Adjusting the front fork ................. 3-27
Adjusting the shock absorber
assembly ................................... 3-29
Luggage strap holders ................. 3-31 EXUP system ................................ 3-31
Sidestand ...................................... 3-31
Ignition circuit cut-off system ....... 3-32
FOR YOUR SAFETY –
PRE-OPERATION CHECKS ............. 4-1
OPERATION AND IMPORTANT
RIDING POINTS ................................ 5-1
Starting the engine .......................... 5-1
Shifting ............................................ 5-2
Tips for reducing fuel consumption ................................ 5-3
Engine break-in ............................... 5-3
Parking ............................................ 5-4
PERIODIC MAINTENANCE AND
ADJUSTMENT ................................... 6-1
Owner’s tool kits ............................. 6-2
Periodic maintenance chart for the emission control system .............. 6-3
General maintenance and lubrication chart ........................... 6-4
Removing and installing the cowling and panels ...................... 6-8
Checking the spark plugs ............. 6-10
Engine oil and oil filter cartridge.... 6-11
Final gear oil .................................. 6-14
Coolant.......................................... 6-16
Air filter element ............................ 6-19 Checking the engine idling
speed ........................................ 6-20
Checking the throttle grip free play ............................................ 6-20
Valve clearance............................. 6-20
Tires .............................................. 6-21
Cast wheels .................................. 6-23
Clutch lever................................... 6-23
Checking the brake lever free
play ............................................ 6-24
Brake light switches ..................... 6-24
Checking the front and rear brake
pads .......................................... 6-25
Checking the brake fluid level ...... 6-25
Changing the brake and clutch
fluids .......................................... 6-27
Checking and lubricating the
cables ........................................ 6-27
Checking and lubricating the throttle grip and cable ............... 6-27
Checking and lubricating the brake and shift pedals............... 6-28
Checking and lubricating the
brake and clutch levers ............. 6-28
Checking and lubricating the sidestand................................... 6-29
Lubricating the swingarm pivots......................................... 6-29
Checking the front fork ................. 6-30
Checking the steering................... 6-30
Checking the wheel bearings ....... 6-31U2CEE0E0.book Page 1 Wednesday, August 27, 2014 11:11 AM

DESCRIPTION
2-1
2
EAU10411
Left view
1
4
56
7
8
11
9
10
12
13
14
15
2316
1. Headlight (page 6-36)
2. Front fork spring preload adjusting bolt (page 3-27)
3. Front fork rebound damping force adjusting knob (page 3-27)
4. Battery (page 6-31)
5. Owner’s tool kit (page 6-2)
6. Fuel tank cap (page 3-22)
7. Shock absorber assembly spring preload adjusting knob (page 3-29)
8. Luggage strap holder (page 3-31) 9. Final gear oil check bolt (page 6-14)
10.Final gear oil drain bolt (page 6-14)
11.Shock absorber assembly rebound damping force adjusting knob
(page 3-29)
12.Sidestand (page 3-31)
13.Shift pedal (page 3-19)
14.Engine oil drain bolt (page 6-11)
15.Engine oil filter cartridge (page 6-11)
16.Front fork compression damping force adjusting screw (page 3-27)
U2CEE0E0.book Page 1 Wednesday, August 27, 2014 11:11 AM

DESCRIPTION
2-2
2
EAU10421
Right view
12 4 6
7
5
3
9
11
8
10
1. Passenger seat (page 3-25)
2. Rear brake fluid reservoir (page 6-25)
3. Luggage strap holder (page 3-31)
4. Rider seat (page 3-25)
5. Fuse box 1 (page 6-34)
6. Radiator cap (page 6-16)
7. Coolant reservoir (page 6-16)
8. Engine oil level check window (page 6-11) 9. Brake pedal (page 3-20)
10.Fuse box 2 (page 6-34)
11.Shock absorber assembly compression damping force adjusting
knob (page 3-29)U2CEE0E0.book Page 2 Wednesday, August 27, 2014 11:11 AM

INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-4
3
EAU49397
Indicator lig hts and warning
lig hts
EAU11031
Turn si gnal in dicator li ghts “ ”
an d“”
The corresponding indicator light
flashes when the turn signal switch is
pushed to the left or right.
EAU11061
Neutral in dicator li ght “ ”
This indicator light comes on when the
transmission is in the neutral position.
EAU11081
Hi gh beam in dicator li ght “ ”
This indicator light comes on when the
high beam of the headlight is switched
on.
EAU46566
Oil level warnin g lig ht “ ”
This warning light comes on if the en-
gine oil level is low.
To check the electrical circuit of the
warning light, place the vehicle on a
level surface, set the engine stop
switch to “ ” and turn the key from
“OFF” to “ON”.
If the warning light does not come on
for a few seconds and then go off, have
a Yamaha dealer check the electrical
circuit. If the warning light stays on, proceed
as follows.
1. Set the engine stop switch to “ ”.
2. Turn the key to “OFF”, wait two minutes, and then turn the key to
“ON”.
3. If the warning light comes on and does not go off, check the engine
oil level. (See page 6-11.) If the
warning light still stays on after
confirming the oil level is correct,
have a Yamaha dealer check the
vehicle.
TIPThis warning light will not come
on:
• when the engine is idling
• when riding
• if the engine has stalled and the key has not been turned from
“ON” to “OFF” and then back to
“ON”
However , if the warning light is on
when the engine is started, it will
stay on until the key is turned to
“OFF”.
1. Shift timing indicator light
2. Fuel level warning light “ ”
3. Right turn signal indicator light “ ”
4. Coolant temperature warning light “ ”
5. Neutral indicator light “ ”
6. High beam indicator light “ ”
7. Engine trouble warning light “ ”
8. Left turn signal indicator light “ ”
9. Immobilizer system indicator light
10.Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) warning light “ ”
11.Oil level warning light “ ”11
10 2
1
9
3
4
5
8
7
6
ABS
U2CEE0E0.book Page 4 Wednesday, August 27, 2014 11:11 AM

INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-6
3
The electrical circuit of the warning
light can be checked by turning the key
to “ON”. The warning light should
come on for a few seconds, and then
go off.
If the warning light does not come on
initially when the key is turned to “ON”,
or if the warning light remains on, have
a Yamaha dealer check the electrical
circuit.
TIPThis warning light will come on when
the key is turned to “ON” and the start
switch is pushed, but this does not in-
dicate a malfunction.
EAU51662
ABS warnin
g lig ht “ ”
In normal operation, the ABS warning
light comes on when the key is turned
to “ON”, and goes off after traveling at
a speed of 10 km/h (6 mi/h) or higher.
If the ABS warning light:  does not come on when the key is
turned to “ON”
 comes on or flashes while riding
 does not go off after traveling at a
speed of 10 km/h (6 mi/h) or high-
er The ABS may not work correctly. If any
of the above occurs, have a Yamaha
dealer check the system as soon as
possible. (See page 3-21 for an expla-
nation of the ABS.)
WARNING
EWA16041
If the ABS warnin
g li ght does not go
off after travelin g at a speed of 10
km/h (6 mi/h) or hi gher, or if the
warnin g lig ht comes on or flashes
while ri din g, the b rake system re-
verts to conventional b raking. If ei-
ther of the a bove occurs, or if the
warnin g lig ht does not come on at
all, use extra caution to avoi d possi-
b le wheel lock d uring emer gency
b rakin g. Have a Yamaha d ealer
check the brake system an d electri-
cal circuits as soon as possi ble.TIPIf the start switch is pushed while the
engine is running, the ABS warning
light will come on, but this is not a mal-
function.
EAU48521
Shift timin g in dicator li ght
This indicator light can be set to come
on and go off at the desired engine
speeds and is used to inform the rider
when it is time to shift to the next high-
er gear.
The electrical circuit of the indicator
light can be checked by turning the key
to “ON”. The indicator light should
come on for a few seconds, and then
go off.
If the indicator light does not come on
initially when the key is turned to “ON”,
or if the indicator light remains on, have
a Yamaha dealer check the electrical
circuit. (See page 3-10 for a detailed
explanation of the function of this indi-
cator light and on how to set it.)
EAU38626
Immo bilizer system in dicator li ght
When the key is turned to “OFF” and
30 seconds have passed, the indicator
light will start flashing indicating the im-
mobilizer system is enabled. After 24
hours have passed, the indicator light
will stop flashing, however the immobi-
lizer system is still enabled.
ABS
U2CEE0E0.book Page 6 Wednesday, August 27, 2014 11:11 AM

INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-18
3
Ri
ght
EAU12351
Pass switch “ ”
Press this switch to flash the headlight.
EAU12401
Dimmer switch “ / ”
Set this switch to “ ” for the high
beam and to “ ” for the low beam.
EAU12461
Turn si gnal switch “ / ”
To signal a right-hand turn, push this
switch to “ ”. To signal a left-hand
turn, push this switch to “ ”. When
released, the switch returns to the cen- ter position. To cancel the turn signal
lights, push the switch in after it has re-
turned to the center position.
EAU12501
Horn switch “ ”
Press this switch to sound the horn.
EAU12661
En
gine stop switch “ / ”
Set this switch to “ ” before starting
the engine. Set this switch to “ ” to
stop the engine in case of an emergen-
cy, such as when the vehicle overturns
or when the throttle cable is stuck.
EAU12713
Start switch “ ”
Push this switch to crank the engine
with the starter. See page 5-1 for start-
ing instructions prior to starting the en-
gine.
EAU42342
The engine trouble warning light and
ABS warning light may come on when
the key is turned to “ON” and the start
switch is pushed, but this does not in-
dicate a malfunction.
EAU12735
Hazar d switch “ ”
With the key in the “ON” or “ ” posi-
tion, use this switch to turn on the haz-
ard lights (simultaneous flashing of all
turn signal lights).
The hazard lights are used in case of an
emergency or to warn other drivers
when your vehicle is stopped where it
might be a traffic hazard.NOTICE
ECA10062
Do not use the hazar d lig hts for an
exten ded len gth of time with the en-
g ine not runnin g, otherwise the bat-
tery may d ischarge.
1. Engine stop switch “ / ”
2. Start switch “ ”
1
2
U2CEE0E0.book Page 18 Wednesday, August 27, 2014 11:11 AM

INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-21
3
EAU51672
ABSThe Yamaha ABS (Anti-lock Brake
System) features a dual electronic con-
trol system, which acts on the front and
rear brakes independently.
Operate the brakes with ABS as you
would conventional brakes. If the ABS
is activated, a pulsating sensation may
be felt at the brake lever or brake ped-
al. In this situation, continue to apply
the brakes and let the ABS work; do
not “pump” the brakes as this will re-
duce braking effectiveness.
WARNING
EWA16051
Always keep a sufficient distance
from the vehicle ahea d to match the
ri din g speed even with ABS.
 The ABS performs best with
lon g b rakin g d istances.
 On certain surfaces, such as
rou gh or g ravel roa ds, the b rak-
in g d istance may b e longer with
the ABS than without.The ABS is monitored by an ECU,
which will revert the system to conven-
tional braking if a malfunction occurs.
TIP The ABS performs a self-diagno-
sis test each time the vehicle first
starts off after the key is turned to
“ON” and the vehicle has traveled
at a speed of 10 km/h (6 mi/h) or
higher. During this test, a “click-
ing” noise can be heard from un-
der the seat, and if the brake lever
or brake pedal is even slightly ap-
plied, a vibration can be felt at the
lever and pedal, but these do not
indicate a malfunction.
 This ABS has a test mode which
allows the owner to experience
the pulsation at the brake lever or
brake pedal when the ABS is op-
erating. However, special tools are
required, so please consult your
Yamaha dealer.NOTICE
ECA16121
Keep any type of mag nets (includin g
ma gnetic pick-up tools, mag netic
screwd rivers, etc.) away from the
front an d rear wheel hu bs, otherwise
the ma gnetic rotors equippe d in the wheel hu
bs may b e damag ed , re-
sultin g in improper performance of
the ABS system.
1. Front wheel hub
1. Rear wheel hub
11
U2CEE0E0.book Page 21 Wednesday, August 27, 2014 11:11 AM

INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-29
3
EAU46494
Adjustin g the shock a bsorb er
assem blyThis shock absorber assembly is
equipped with a spring preload adjust-
ing knob and rebound and compres-
sion damping force adjusting knobs.NOTICE
ECA10102
To avoi d d amag ing the mechanism,
d o not attempt to turn b eyond the
maximum or minimum setting s.Spring preloa d
To increase the spring preload and
thereby harden the suspension, turn
the adjusting knob in direction (a). To
decrease the spring preload and there-
by soften the suspension, turn the ad-
justing knob in direction (b).TIPAlign the appropriate mark on the ad-
justing mechanism with the end of the
adjusting knob.
Re boun d d ampin g force
To increase the rebound damping
force and thereby harden the rebound
damping, turn the adjusting knob in di-
rection (a). To decrease the rebound
damping force and thereby soften the
rebound damping, turn the adjusting
knob in direction (b).
1. Spring preload adjusting knobSprin g preloa d setting :
Minimum (soft): 11
Standard: 6
Maximum (hard):
1
(a)
(b)
1
5
4
3
2
1
11
67
10
9
8
1. Rebound damping force adjusting knobRe boun d d ampin g setting :
Minimum (soft): 20 clicks in direction (b)*
Standard: 12 clicks in direction (b)*
Maximum (hard):
3 clicks in direction (b)*
* With the adjusting knob fully turned in direction (a)
(b)(a)
1
U2CEE0E0.book Page 29 Wednesday, August 27, 2014 11:11 AM

OPERATION AND IMPORTANT RIDING POINTS
5-2
5
NOTICE
ECA11834
If a warning or in dicator li ght does
not come on initially when the key is
turne d to “ON”, or if a warnin g or in-
d icator li ght remains on, see pa ge
3-4 for the correspon din g warnin g
an d in dicator li ght circuit check.
The ABS warning light should
come on when the main switch is
turned to “ON” and then go off af-
ter traveling at a speed of 10 km/h
(6 mi/h) or higher.
NOTICE
ECA17682
If the ABS warnin g li ght does not
come on an d then go off as ex-
plaine d a bove, see pa ge 3-4 for the
warnin g li ght circuit check.2. Shift the transmission into the
neutral position. The neutral indi-
cator light should come on. If not,
ask a Yamaha dealer to check the
electrical circuit.
3. Start the engine by pushing the start switch. If the engine fails to start, release
the start switch, wait a few sec-
onds, and then try again. Each
starting attempt should be as
short as possible to preserve the
battery. Do not crank the engine
more than 10 seconds on any one
attempt.
NOTICE
ECA11043
For maximum en
gine life, never ac-
celerate har d when the en gine is
col d!
EAU16673
Shiftin gShifting gears lets you control the
amount of engine power available for
starting off, accelerating, climbing hills,
etc.
The gear positions are shown in the il-
lustration.TIPTo shift the transmission into the neu-
tral position, press the shift pedal down
repeatedly until it reaches the end of its
travel, and then slightly raise it.1. Shift pedal
2. Neutral position
1
2
2 3
4 5N1
U2CEE0E0.book Page 2 Wednesday, August 27, 2014 11:11 AM

PERIODIC MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENT
6-26
6
Rear
brake
TIPThe rear brake fluid reservoir is located
under the passenger seat. (See page
3-25.)
WARNING
EWA16011
Improper maintenance can result in
loss of b raking a bility. O bserve
these precautions:  Insufficient brake flui d may al-
low air to enter the brake sys-
tem, re ducin g brakin g
performance. 
Clean the filler cap before re-
movin g. Use only DOT 4 b rake
flui d from a seale d container.
 Use only the specified b rake flu-
i d ; otherwise, the ru bber seals
may deteriorate, causin g leak-
a g e.
 Refill with the same type of
brake flui d. A dding a brake fluid
other than DOT 4 may result in a
harmful chemical reaction.
 Be careful that water or d ust
d oes not enter the brake flui d
reservoir when refillin g. Water
will si gnificantly lower the boil-
in g point of the flui d an d may re-
sult in vapor lock, an d d ir
t may
clo g the ABS hy draulic unit
valves.
NOTICE
ECA17641
Brake flui d may d amage painte d
surfaces or plastic parts. Always
clean up spilled fluid imme diately.As the brake pads wear, it is normal for
the brake fluid level to gradually go
down. A low brake fluid level may indi-
cate worn brake pads and/or brake system leakage; therefore, be sure to
check the brake pads for wear and the
brake system for leakage. If the brake
fluid level goes down suddenly, have a
Yamaha dealer check the cause before
further riding.
1. Minimum level markSpecifie
d b rake flui d:
DOT 41
U2CEE0E0.book Page 26 Wednesday, August 27, 2014 11:11 AM