warning YAMAHA YZF-R125 2008 Owners Manual

IMPORTANT MANUAL INFORMATION
EAU10151
Particularly important information is distinguished in this manual by the following notations:NOTE:

This manual should be considered a permanent part of this motorcycle and should remain with it even if the motorcycle
is subsequently sold.


Yamaha continually seeks advancements in product design and quality. Therefore, while this manual contains the most
current product information available at the time of printing, there may be minor discrepancies between your motorcycleand this manual. If you have any questions concerning this manual, please consult your Yamaha dealer.WARNING
EWA10030
PLEASE READ THIS MANUAL CAREFULLY AND COMPLETELY BEFORE OPERATING THIS MOTORCYCLE.
*Product and specifications are subject to change without notice.The Safety Alert Symbol means ATTENTION! BECOME ALERT! YOUR SAFETY IS
INVOLVED!
Failure to follow WARNING instructions could result in severe injury or death
to the
motorcycle operator, a bystander, or a person inspecting or repairing the motor-
cycle.
A CAUTION indicates special precautions that must be taken to avoid damage to
the motorcycle.
A NOTE provides key information to make procedures easier or clearer.
WARNING
CAUTION:
NOTE:
U5D7E0E0.book Page 1 Tuesday, December 18, 2007 10:13 AM

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
Main switch/steering lock ................3-1
Indicator and warning lights ............3-2
Tachometer ....................................3-3
Multi-function display ......................3-3
Handlebar switches ........................3-4
Clutch lever .....................................3-5
Shift pedal .......................................3-6
Brake lever .....................................3-6
Brake pedal ....................................3-6
Fuel tank cap ..................................3-7
Fuel .................................................3-7
Catalytic converters ........................3-8
Rider seat .......................................3-9
Anti-theft device housing ................3-9
Sidestand ......................................3-10
Ignition circuit cut-off system ........3-10
PRE-OPERATION CHECKS..............4-1
Pre-operation check list ..................4-2OPERATION 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
MINOR REPAIR................................. 6-1
Owner’s tool kit ............................... 6-1
Periodic maintenance and
lubrication chart .......................... 6-2
Removing and installing the
cowlings and panel ..................... 6-6
Checking the spark plug ................. 6-8
Engine oil and oil filter element ...... 6-9
Coolant ......................................... 6-12
Replacing the air filter element
and cleaning the check hose .... 6-14
Adjusting the engine idling
speed ........................................ 6-14
Adjusting the throttle cable free
play ........................................... 6-15
Valve clearance ............................ 6-16
Tires ............................................. 6-16
Cast wheels .................................. 6-18
Adjusting the clutch lever free
play ........................................... 6-19Checking the front brake lever
free play .................................... 6-20
Adjusting the brake pedal free
play ........................................... 6-20
Checking the front and rear
brake pads ................................ 6-20
Checking the brake fluid level ...... 6-21
Changing the brake fluid .............. 6-22
Drive chain slack .......................... 6-22
Cleaning and lubricating the
drive chain ................................ 6-24
Checking and lubricating the
cables ....................................... 6-24
Checking and lubricating the
throttle grip and cable ............... 6-25
Checking and lubricating the
brake and shift pedals .............. 6-25
Checking and lubricating the
brake and clutch levers ............ 6-26
Checking and lubricating the
sidestand .................................. 6-26
Lubricating the swingarm
pivots ........................................ 6-27
Checking the front fork ................. 6-27
Checking the steering .................. 6-28
Checking the wheel bearings ....... 6-28
Battery ......................................... 6-29
Replacing the fuses ..................... 6-30
Replacing a headlight bulb .......... 6-31
Tail/brake light ............................. 6-31U5D7E0E0.book Page 1 Tuesday, December 18, 2007 10:13 AM

1-1
1
SAFETY INFORMATION
EAU10281
MOTORCYCLES ARE SINGLE
TRACK VEHICLES. THEIR SAFE USE
AND OPERATION ARE DEPENDENT
UPON THE USE OF PROPER RIDING
TECHNIQUES AS WELL AS THE EX-
PERTISE OF THE OPERATOR. EV-
ERY OPERATOR SHOULD KNOW
THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS
BEFORE RIDING THIS MOTOR-
CYCLE.
HE OR SHE SHOULD:

OBTAIN THOROUGH INSTRUC-
TIONS FROM A COMPETENT
SOURCE ON ALL ASPECTS OF
MOTORCYCLE OPERATION.


OBSERVE THE WARNINGS AND
MAINTENANCE REQUIRE-
MENTS IN THE OWNER’S MAN-
UAL.


OBTAIN QUALIFIED TRAINING
IN SAFE AND PROPER RIDING
TECHNIQUES.


OBTAIN PROFESSIONAL TECH-
NICAL SERVICE AS INDICATED
BY THE OWNER’S MANUALAND/OR WHEN MADE NECES-
SARY BY MECHANICAL CONDI-
TIONS.
Safe riding


Always make pre-operation
checks. Careful checks may help
prevent an accident.


This motorcycle is designed to car-
ry the operator and a passenger.


The failure of motorists to detect
and recognize motorcycles in traf-
fic is the predominating cause of
automobile/motorcycle accidents.
Many accidents have been caused
by an automobile driver who did
not see the motorcycle. Making
yourself conspicuous appears to
be very effective in reducing the
chance of this type of accident.
Therefore:
Wear a brightly colored jacket.
Use extra caution when you are
approaching and passing
through intersections, since in-
tersections are the most likely
places for motorcycle accidents
to occur.Ride where other motorists can
see you. Avoid riding in another
motorist’s blind spot.


Many accidents involve inexperi-
enced operators. In fact, many op-
erators who have been involved in
accidents do not even have a cur-
rent motorcycle license.
Make sure that you are qualified
and that you only lend your
motorcycle to other qualified op-
erators.
Know your skills and limits.
Staying within your limits may
help you to avoid an accident.
We recommend that you prac-
tice riding your motorcycle
where there is no traffic until you
have become thoroughly famil-
iar with the motorcycle and all of
its controls.


Many accidents have been caused
by error of the motorcycle opera-
tor. A typical error made by the op-
erator is veering wide on a turn
U5D7E0E0.book Page 1 Tuesday, December 18, 2007 10:13 AM

INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-1
3
EAU10460
Main switch/steering lock The main switch/steering lock controls
the ignition and lighting systems, and is
used to lock the steering. The various
positions are described below.
EAU36870
ON
All electrical circuits are supplied with
power, the meter lighting, taillight, li-
cense plate light and auxiliary lights
come on, and the engine can be start-
ed. The key cannot be removed.NOTE:The headlight comes on automatically
when the engine is started and stays on
until the key is turned to “OFF”, even ifthe engine stalls.
EAU10660
OFF
All electrical systems are off. The key
can be removed.
EAU10690
LOCK
The steering is locked, and all electrical
systems are off. The key can be re-
moved.
To lock the steering1. Turn the handlebars all the way to
the left or right.
2. Push the key in from the “OFF” po-
sition, and then turn it to “LOCK”
while still pushing it.
3. Remove the key.To unlock the steering
Push the key into the main switch, and
then turn it to “OFF” while still pushing
it.
WARNING
EWA10060
Never turn the key to “OFF” or
“LOCK” while the vehicle is moving,
otherwise the electrical systems will
be switched off, which may result in
loss of control or an accident. Make
sure that the vehicle is stopped be-
fore turning the key to “OFF” or“LOCK”.
1. Push.
2. Turn.
1. Push.
2. Turn.
U5D7E0E0.book Page 1 Tuesday, December 18, 2007 10:13 AM

INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-2
3
EAU11003
Indicator and warning lights
EAU11020
Turn signal indicator light“”
This indicator light flashes when the
turn signal switch is pushed to the left or
right.
EAU11060
Neutral indicator light“”
This indicator light comes on when the
transmission is in the neutral position.
EAU11080
High beam indicator light“”
This indicator light comes on when the
high beam of the headlight is switched
on.
EAUM2290
Coolant temperature warning
light“”
This warning light comes on when the
engine overheats. When this occurs,
stop the engine immediately and allow
the engine to cool.
The electrical circuit of the warning light
can be checked by turning the key to
“ON”.
If the warning light does not come on
for a few seconds, then go off, have a
Yamaha dealer check the electrical cir-
cuit.CAUTION:
ECA10020
Do not operate the engine if it isoverheated.
EAU11500
Engine trouble warning light“”
This warning light comes on or flashes
when an electrical circuit monitoring the
engine is defective. When this occurs,
have a Yamaha dealer check the self-
diagnosis system.
The electrical circuit of the warning light
can be checked by turning the key to
“ON”. If the warning light does not come
on for a few seconds, then go off, have
a Yamaha dealer check the electrical
circuit.
1. Neutral indicator light“”
2. Turn signal indicator light“”
3. High beam indicator light“”
4. Engine trouble warning light“”
5. Coolant temperature warning light“”U5D7E0E0.book Page 2 Tuesday, December 18, 2007 10:13 AM

INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-3
3
EAU11872
Tachometer The electric tachometer allows the rider
to monitor the engine speed and keep it
within the ideal power range.
When the key is turned to “ON”, the ta-
chometer needle will sweep once
across the r/min range and then return
to zero r/min in order to test the electri-
cal circuit.CAUTION:
ECA10031
Do not operate the engine in the ta-
chometer red zone.Red zone: 10000 r/min and above
EAUM2301
Multi-function display The multi-function display is equipped
with the following:

a speedometer (which shows the
riding speed)


an odometer (which shows the to-
tal distance traveled)


two tripmeters (which show the
distance traveled since they were
last set to zero)


a fuel reserve tripmeter (which
shows the distance traveled since
the fuel level warning light came
on)


a fuel meter
NOTE:

Be sure to turn the key to “ON” be-
fore using the “RESET/ SELECT”
button.


For the U.K. only: To switch the
speedometer and odometer/trip-
meter displays between kilometers
and miles, press the “RESET/SE-
LECT” button for at least eight sec-onds.
Odometer and tripmeter modes
A brief push (less than one second) on
the “RESET/SELECT” button switches
the display between the odometer
mode “ODO” and the tripmeter modes
“TRIP 1” and “TRIP 2” in the following
order:
ODO → TRIP 1 → TRIP 2 → ODO
When approximately 1.6 L (0.42 US
gal)(0.35 Imp.gal) of fuel remains in the
fuel tank, the odometer display will au-
tomatically change to the fuel reserve
tripmeter mode “F-TRIP” and start
counting the distance traveled from that
point, and the last segment of the fuel
meter will start flashing. In that case,
pushing the “RESET/SELECT” button
1. Tachometer
2. Tachometer red zone
1. Multi-function display
2.“RESET/SELECT” button
U5D7E0E0.book Page 3 Tuesday, December 18, 2007 10:13 AM

INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-7
3
EAUM2080
Fuel tank cap To remove the fuel tank cap
1. Open the fuel tank cap lock cover.
2. Insert the key into the lock and turn
it 1/4 turn counterclockwise. The
lock will be released and the fuel
tank cap can be removed.
To install the fuel tank cap
1. Push the fuel tank cap into position
with the key inserted in the lock.
2. Turn the key clockwise to the orig-
inal position, and then remove it.
3. Close the lock cover.
NOTE:The fuel tank cap cannot be installed
unless the key is in the lock. In addition,
the key cannot be removed if the cap isnot properly installed and locked.
WARNING
EWA11140
Make sure that the fuel tank cap isproperly installed before riding.
EAU13211
Fuel Make sure that there is sufficient fuel in
the tank. Fill the fuel tank to the bottom
of the filler tube as shown.
WARNING
EWA10880


Do not overfill the fuel tank, oth-
erwise it may overflow when the
fuel warms up and expands.


Avoid spilling fuel on the hot en-gine.
1. Fuel tank cap lock cover
2. Unlock.
1. Fuel tank filler tube
2. Fuel level
U5D7E0E0.book Page 7 Tuesday, December 18, 2007 10:13 AM

INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-8
3
CAUTION:
ECA10070
Immediately wipe off spilled fuel
with a clean, dry, soft cloth, since
fuel may deteriorate painted surfac-es or plastic parts.
EAU43420
CAUTION:
ECA11400
Use only unleaded gasoline. The use
of leaded gasoline will cause severe
damage to internal engine parts,
such as the valves and piston rings,as well as to the exhaust system.
Your Yamaha engine has been de-
signed to use premium unleaded gaso-
line with a research octane number of
95 or higher. If knocking (or pinging) oc-curs, use a gasoline of a different
brand. Use of unleaded fuel will extend
spark plug life and reduce maintenance
costs.
EAU13442
Catalytic converters This vehicle is equipped with catalytic
converters in the exhaust system.
WARNING
EWA10860
The exhaust system is hot after op-
eration. Make sure that the exhaust
system has cooled down before do-ing any maintenance work.CAUTION:
ECA10700
The following precautions must be
observed to prevent a fire hazard or
other damages.

Use only unleaded gasoline.
The use of leaded gasoline will
cause unrepairable damage to
the catalytic converter.


Never park the vehicle near pos-
sible fire hazards such as grass
or other materials that easily
burn.


Do not allow the engine to idletoo long.
Recommended fuel:
PREMIUM UNLEADED GASOLINE
ONLY
Fuel tank capacity:
13.8 L (3.65 US gal) (3.04 Imp.gal)
Fuel reserve amount (when the fuel
level warning indicator comes on):
1.6 L (0.42 US gal) (0.35 Imp.gal)
U5D7E0E0.book Page 8 Tuesday, December 18, 2007 10:13 AM

INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-10
3
EAU15301
Sidestand The sidestand is located on the left side
of the frame. Raise the sidestand or
lower it with your foot while holding the
vehicle upright.NOTE:The built-in sidestand switch is part of
the ignition circuit cut-off system, which
cuts the ignition in certain situations.
(See further down for an explanation ofthe ignition circuit cut-off system.)
WARNING
EWA10240
The vehicle must not be ridden with
the sidestand down, or if the side-
stand cannot be properly moved up
(or does not stay up), otherwise the
sidestand could contact the ground
and distract the operator, resulting
in a possible loss of control.
Yamaha’s ignition circuit cut-off
system has been designed to assist
the operator in fulfilling the respon-
sibility of raising the sidestand be-
fore starting off. Therefore, check
this system regularly as describedbelow and have a Yamaha dealer re-
pair it if it does not function proper-
ly.
EAU44890
Ignition circuit cut-off system The ignition circuit cut-off system (com-
prising the sidestand switch, clutch
switch and neutral switch) has the fol-
lowing functions.

It prevents starting when the trans-
mission is in gear and the side-
stand is up, but the clutch lever is
not pulled.


It prevents starting when the trans-
mission is in gear and the clutch le-
ver is pulled, but the sidestand is
still down.


It cuts the running engine when the
transmission is in gear and the sid-
estand is moved down.
Periodically check the operation of the
ignition circuit cut-off system according
to the following procedure.WARNING
EWA10250
If a malfunction is noted, have a
Yamaha dealer check the system be-fore riding.
U5D7E0E0.book Page 10 Tuesday, December 18, 2007 10:13 AM

PRE-OPERATION CHECKS
4-1
4
EAU15593
The condition of a vehicle is the owner’s responsibility. Vital components can start to deteriorate quickly and unexpectedly,
even if the vehicle remains unused (for example, as a result of exposure to the elements). Any damage, fluid leakage or loss
of tire air pressure could have serious consequences. Therefore, it is very important, in addition to a thorough visual inspec-
tion, to check the following points before each ride.NOTE:Pre-operation checks should be made each time the vehicle is used. Such an inspection can be accomplished in a very shorttime; and the added safety it assures is more than worth the time involved.
WARNING
EWA11150
If any item in the Pre-operation check list is not working properly, have it inspected and repaired before operatingthe vehicle.U5D7E0E0.book Page 1 Tuesday, December 18, 2007 10:13 AM