2008 YAMAHA WOLVERINE 450 ESP

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Always inspect your ATV each time you use it to
make sure it is in safe operating condition. Al-
ways follow the inspection and maintenance
procedures and schedules described in this
manual.
Always keep both hands on the handlebars and
both feet on the footboards of the ATV during
operation.
Always go slowly and be extra careful when op-
erating on unfamiliar terrain. Always be alert to
changing terrain conditions when operating the
ATV.
Never operate on excessively rough, slippery or
loose terrain until you have learned and prac-
ticed the skills necessary to control the ATV on
such terrain. Always be especially cautious on
these kinds of terrain.
Always follow proper procedures for turning as
described in this manual. Practice turning at low
speeds before attempting to turn at faster
speeds and never turn at excessive speeds.
Never operate the ATV on hills too steep for the
ATV or for your abilities. Practice on smaller hills
before attempting larger hills.

Always follow proper procedures for climbing
hills as described in this manual. Check the ter-
rain carefully before you start up any hill. Never
climb hills with excessively slippery or loose sur-
faces. Shift your weight forward. Never open the
throttle suddenly. Never go over the top of a hill
at high speed.
Always follow proper procedures for going down
hills and for braking on hills as described in this
manual. Check the terrain carefully before you
start down any hill. Shift your weight backward.
Never go down a hill at high speed. Avoid going
down a hill at an angle that would cause the ve-
hicle to lean sharply to one side. Go straight
down the hill where possible.
Always follow proper procedures for crossing
the side of a hill as described in this manual.
Avoid hills with excessively slippery or loose sur-
faces. Shift your weight to the uphill side of the
ATV. Never attempt to turn the ATV around on
any hill until you have mastered the turning tech-
nique described in this manual on level ground.
Avoid crossing the side of a steep hill if possible.
Always use proper procedures if you stall or roll
backwards when climbing a hill. To avoid stall-
ing, maintain a steady speed when climbing a
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NOTE:If knocking or pinging occurs, use a different brandof gasoline or higher octane grade.
CAUTION:ECB00070Use only unleaded gasoline. The use of leaded
gasoline will cause severe damage to internal
engine parts, such as the valves and pistonrings, as well as to the exhaust system.
WARNING
EWB00310
Do not overfill the fuel tank. Fuel expands
when it heats up. If the fuel tank is overfilled,
fuel could spill out due to heat from the en-
gine or the sun.
Be careful not to spill fuel, especially on the
engine or exhaust pipe which can cause a
fire and severe injury. Wipe up any spilled
fuel immediately.
Do not refuel right after the engine has been
running and is still very hot.
Be sure the fuel tank cap is closed securely.EBU18820Fuel cock The fuel cock supplies fuel from the tank to the car-
buretor while also filtering it.
The fuel cock lever positions are explained as fol-
lows and shown in the illustrations.
1. Fuel level
2. Fuel tank filler tubeRecommended fuel:
Regular unleaded gasoline only with a re-
search octane number of 91 or higher
Fuel tank capacity:
14.5 L (3.83 US gal) (3.19 Imp.gal)
Fuel reserve amount:
4.5 L (1.19 US gal) (0.99 Imp.gal)
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EBU19540Fuel Make sure that there is sufficient fuel in the tank.
(See page 4-9.)
WARNING
EWB00520
Do not overfill the fuel tank. Fuel expands
when it heats up. If the fuel tank is overfilled,
fuel could spill out due to heat from the en-
gine or the sun.
Be careful not to spill fuel, especially on the
engine or exhaust pipe which can cause a
fire and severe injury. Wipe up any spilled
fuel immediately.
Do not refuel right after the engine has been
running and is still very hot.
Be sure the fuel tank cap is closed securely.EBU19560Engine oil Make sure that the engine oil is at the specified lev-
el. Add oil as necessary. (See page 8-17.)EBU19590Final gear oil Make sure that the final gear oil is at the specified
level. Add oil as necessary. (See page 8-22.)
EBU19600Differential gear oil Make sure that the differential gear oil is at the
specified level. Add oil as necessary. (See page
8-24.)EBU19630Coolant Make sure that the coolant is at the specified level.
Add coolant as necessary. (See page 8-26.)NOTE:The coolant level must be checked on a cold en-
gine since the level varies with engine tempera-ture.
WARNING
EWB00510Wait for the engine and radiator to cool before
removing the radiator cap. You could be
burned by hot fluid and steam blown out under
pressure. Always put a thick rag over the cap
when opening. Allow any remaining pressureto escape before completely removing the cap.
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EBU19880
OPERATION
EBU19900Read the Owner’s Manual carefully before riding
the ATV.
WARNING
EWB00630Read the Owner’s Manual carefully to become
familiar with all controls in order to help pre-
vent any loss of control, which could cause an
accident or injury. If there is a control or func-
tion you do not understand, ask your Yamahadealer.EBU26542Starting a cold engine
WARNING
EWB00640Always make sure all control cables work
smoothly before you begin riding in cold
weather. If the control cables are frozen or do
not work smoothly, you could be unable to
control the ATV, which could lead to an acci-dent or collision.
CAUTION:ECB00150See the “Engine break-in” section on page 6-5prior to operating the engine for the first time.
1. Turn the fuel cock to “ON”.
2. Turn the main switch to “ON” and the engine
stop switch to“”.
3. Shift the drive select lever into the neutral or
park position. The corresponding indicator
light should come on, if it does not come on,
have a Yamaha dealer check the electrical cir-
cuit.NOTE:The engine can be started under the following con-
ditions:
The drive select lever is in the neutral or park po-
sition.
The rear brake lever is applied with the drive se-
lect lever in any position. However, it is recom-
mended to shift into the neutral or park positionbefore starting the engine.
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NOTE:The engine is warm when it responds normally tothe throttle with the starter (choke) turned off.EBU20291Starting a warm engine Follow the same procedure as for starting a cold
engine, with the exception that the starter (choke)
is not required when the engine is warm. Instead,
start the engine with the throttle slightly open.EBU20460Operating the drive select lever and
driving in reverse CAUTION:ECB00170Before shifting, stop the ATV, otherwise thetransmission may be damaged.
Shifting: Neutral to Forward
1. Bring the ATV to a complete stop.
2. Apply the brake pedal, and then shift by mov-
ing the drive select lever along the shift guide.
NOTE:Make sure that the drive select lever is completelyshifted into position.
3. Release the brake pedal, and then open the
throttle lever gradually.1. Drive select lever
2. F (Forward)
3. N (Neutral)
4. R (Reverse)
5. P (Park)
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WARNING
EWB01540Do not operate on excessively rough, slippery
or loose terrain until you have learned and
practiced the skills necessary to control the
ATV on such terrain. Failure to use extra care
when operating on excessively rough, slippery
or loose terrain could cause loss of traction or
ATV control, which could result in an accident,including an overturn.When riding in an area where you might not easily
be seen, such as desert terrain, mount a caution
flag on the ATV. DO NOT use the flag pole bracket
as a trailer hitch.
WARNING
EWB01550Always mount a caution flag on the ATV to
make you more visible when operating in areas
where you might not be seen by other vehicles.Watch carefully for other vehicles.
Do not ride in areas posted “no trespassing”.
Do not ride on private property without getting per-
mission.
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EBU23940Adjusting the carburetor The carburetor should be checked and, if neces-
sary, adjusted at the intervals specified in the peri-
odic maintenance and lubrication chart. The
carburetor is an important part of the engine and
requires very sophisticated adjustment. Therefore,
most carburetor adjustments should be left to a
Yamaha dealer, who has the necessary profes-
sional knowledge and experience. The adjustment
described in the following section, however, may
be performed by the owner as part of routine main-
tenance.CAUTION:ECB00480The carburetor has been set and extensively
tested at the Yamaha factory. Changing these
settings without sufficient technical knowl-
edge may result in poor performance of ordamage to the engine.EBU24000Adjusting the engine idling speed The engine idling speed must be checked and, if
necessary, adjusted as follows at the intervals
specified in the periodic maintenance and lubrica-
tion chart.
NOTE:A diagnostic tachometer is needed to make thisadjustment.
1. Start the engine and warm it up.NOTE:The engine is warm when it quickly responds to thethrottle.
2. Attach the tachometer to the spark plug lead.
3. Check the engine idling speed and, if neces-
sary, adjust it to specification by turning the
throttle stop screw at the carburetor. To in-
crease the engine idling speed, turn the throt-
tle stop screw in direction (a), and to decrease
it, turn the screw in direction (b).
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