2008 YAMAHA YZ250F open gas tank

FOREWARD
INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of
a Yamaha YZ series. This model is
the culmination of Yamaha's vast ex-
perience in the production of paceset-
ting racing machines. It represents
the highest grade of craftsmanship
and reliability that have made Yama-
ha a leader.
This manual explains operation, in-
spection, basic maintenance and tun-
ing of your machine. If you have any
questions about this manual or your
machine, please contact your Yama-
ha dealer.
Yamaha continually seeks advance-
ments 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 machine and this manual. If you
have any questions concerning this
manual, please consult your Yamaha
dealer.
PLEASE READ THIS MANUAL
CAREFULLY AND COMPLETELY
BEFORE OPERATING THIS MA-
CHINE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OP-
ERATE THIS MACHINE UNTIL YOU
HAVE ATTAINED A SATISFACTO-
RY KNOWLEDGE OF ITS CON-
TROLS AND OPERATING
FEATURES AND UNTIL YOU HAVE
BEEN TRAINED IN SAFE AND
PROPER RIDING TECHNIQUES.
REGULAR INSPECTIONS AND
CAREFUL MAINTENANCE,
ALONG WITH GOOD RIDING
SKILLS, WILL ENSURE THAT YOU
SAFETY ENJOY THE CAPABILI-
TIES AND THE RELIABILITY OF
THIS MACHINE.
PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT
INFORMATION
The Safety Alert Symbol means AT-
TENTION! BECOME ALERT! YOUR
SAFETY IS INVOLVED!
Failure to follow WARNING instruc-
tions could result in severe injury or
death to the machine operator, a by-
stander, or a person inspecting or re-
pairing the machine. A CAUTION indicates special pre-
cautions that must be taken to avoid
damage to the machine.
A NOTE provides key information to
make procedures easier or clearer.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
THIS MACHINE IS DESIGNED
STRICTLY FOR COMPETITION
USE, ONLY ON A CLOSED
COURSE. It is illegal for this machine
to be operated on any public street,
road, or highway. Off-road use on
public lands may be illegal. Please
check local regulations before riding.
1. THIS MACHINE IS TO BE OP-
ERATED BY AN EXPERI-
ENCED RIDER ONLY.
Do not attempt to operate this
machine at maximum power
until you are totally familiar
with its characteristics.
2. THIS MACHINE IS DESIGNED TO BE RIDDEN BY THE OP-
ERATOR ONLY.
Do not carry passengers on
this machine.
3. ALWAYS WEAR PROTEC- TIVE APPAREL.
When operating this ma-
chine, always wear an ap-
proved helmet with goggles
or a face shield. Also wear
heavy boots, gloves, and pro-
tective clothing. Always wear
proper fitting clothing that
will not be caught in any of
the moving parts or controls
of the machine.
4. ALWAYS MAINTAIN YOUR MACHINE IN PROPER
WORKING ORDER.
For safety and reliability, the
machine must be properly
maintained. Always perform
the pre-operation checks in-
dicated in this manual. Cor-
recting a mechanical problem
before you ride may prevent
an accident.
5. GASOLINE IS HIGHLY FLAM-MABLE.
Always turn off the engine
while refueling. Take care to
not spill any gasoline on the
engine or exhaust system.
Never refuel in the vicinity of
an open flame, or while
smoking.
6. GASOLINE CAN CAUSE IN- JURY.
If you should swallow some
gasoline, inhale excess gaso-
line vapors, or allow any gas-
oline to get into your eyes,
contact a doctor immediately.
If any gasoline spills onto
your skin or clothing, imme-
diately wash skin areas with
soap and water, and change
your clothes.
7. ONLY OPERATE THE MA- CHINE IN AN AREA WITH AD-
EQUATE VENTILATION.
Never start the engine or let it
run for any length of time in
an enclosed area. Exhaust
fumes are poisonous. These
fumes contain carbon mon-
oxide, which by itself is odor-
less and colorless. Carbon
monoxide is a dangerous gas
which can cause uncon-
sciousness or can be lethal.
8. PARK THE MACHINE CARE- FULLY; TURN OFF THE EN-
GINE.
Always turn off the engine if
you are going to leave the
machine. Do not park the ma-
chine on a slope or soft
ground as it may fall over.
9. THE ENGINE, EXHAUST PIPE, MUFFLER, AND OIL
TANK WILL BE VERY HOT
AFTER THE ENGINE HAS
BEEN RUN.
Be careful not to touch them
or to allow any clothing item
to contact them during in-
spection or repair.

1-8
CONTROL FUNCTIONS
CONTROL FUNCTIONS
ENGINE STOP SWITCH
The engine stop switch "1" is located
on the left handlebar. Continue push-
ing the engine stop switch till the en-
gine comes to a stop.
CLUTCH LEVER
The clutch lever "1" is located on the
left handlebar; it disengages or en-
gages the clutch. Pull the clutch lever
to the handlebar to disengage the
clutch, and release the lever to en-
gage the clutch. The lever should be
pulled rapidly and released slowly for
smooth starts.
SHIFT PEDAL
The gear ratios of the constant-mesh
5 speed transmission are ideally
spaced. The gears can be shifted by
using the shift pedal "1" on the left
side of the engine.
KICKSTARTER CRANK
Rotate the kickstarter crank "1" away
from the engine. Push the starter
down lightly with your foot until the
gears engage, then kick smoothly
and forcefully to start the engine. This
model has a primary kickstarter crank
so the engine can be started in any
gear if the clutch is disengaged. In
normal practices, however, shift to
neutral before starting.THROTTLE GRIP
The throttle grip "1" is located on the
right handlebar; it accelerates or de-
celerates the engine. For accelera-
tion, turn the grip toward you; for
deceleration, turn it away from you.
FRONT BRAKE LEVER
The front brake lever "1" is located on
the right handlebar. Pull it toward the
handlebar to activate the front brake.
REAR BRAKE PEDAL
The rear brake pedal "1" is located on
the right side of the machine. Press
down on the brake pedal to activate
the rear brake.
FUEL COCK
The fuel cock supplies fuel from the
tank to carburetor and also filters the
fuel. The fuel cock has the two posi-
tions:
OFF:
With the lever in this position, fuel will
not flow. Always return the lever to
this position when the engine is not
running.
ON:
With the lever in this position, fuel
flows to the carburetor. Normal riding
is done with the lever in this position.COLD STARTER KNOB
When cold, the engine requires a
richer air-fuel mixture for starting. A
separate starter circuit, which is con-
trolled by the cold starter knob "1",
supplies this mixture. Pull the cold
starter knob out to open the circuit for
starting. When the engine has
warmed up, push it in to close the cir-
cuit.
HOT STARTER LEVER
The hot starter lever "1" is used when
starting a warm engine. Use the hot
starter lever when starting the engine
again immediately after it was
stopped (the engine is still warm).
Pulling the hot starter lever injects
secondary air to thin the air-fuel mix-
ture temporarily, allowing the engine
to be started more easily.
STARTING AND BREAK-IN
FUEL
Always use the recommended fuel as
stated below. Also, be sure to use
new gasoline the day of a race.
Use only unleaded gasoline. The
use of leaded gasoline will cause
severe damage to the engine inter-
nal parts such as valves, piston
rings, and exhaust system, etc.
Recommended fuel:
Premium unleaded
gasoline only with a re-
search octane number
of 95 or higher.

5-39
REAR SHOCK ABSORBER
HANDLING NOTE
• Support the machine securely so there is no danger of it falling
over.
• This rear shock absorber is pro-
vided with a separate type tank
filled with high-pressure nitro-
gen gas. To prevent the danger
of explosion, read and under-
stand the following information
before handling the shock ab-
sorber. The manufacturer can
not be held responsible for prop-
erty damage or personal injury
that may result from improper
handling.
• Never tamper or attempt to dis-assemble the cylinder or the
tank.
• Never throw the rear shock ab-
sorber into an open flame or
other high heat. The rear shock
absorber may explode as a re-
sult of nitrogen gas expansion
and/ or damage to the hose.
• Be careful not to damage any
part of the gas tank. A damaged
gas tank will impair the damp-
ing performance or cause a
malfunction.
• Take care not to scratch the contact surface of the piston
rod with the cylinder; or oil
could leak out.
• Never attempt to remove the plug at the bottom of the nitro-
gen gas tank. It is very danger-
ous to remove the plug.
• When scrapping the rear shock
absorber, follow the instruc-
tions on disposal.
NOTES ON DISPOSAL (YAMAHA
DEALERS ONLY)
Before disposing the rear shock ab-
sorber, be sure to extract the nitrogen
gas from valve "1". Wear eye protec-
tion to prevent eye damage from es-
caping gas and/or metal chips.
To dispose of a damaged or worn-
out rear shock absorber, take the
unit to your Yamaha dealer for this
disposal procedure.
REMOVING THE BEARING
1. Remove:• Stopper ring (upper bearing) "1"
Press in the bearing while pressing its
outer race and remove the stopper
ring.
2. Remove:• Upper bearing "1"
Remove the bearing by pressing its
outer race.
3. Remove:• Lower bearing "1"
Remove the bearing by pressing its
outer race.
CHECKING THE REAR SHOCK
ABSORBER
1. Inspect:
• Damper rod "1"Bends/damage
→Replace rear
shock absorber assembly.
• Shock absorber "2" Oil leaks
→Replace rear shock
absorber assembly.
Gas leaks
→Replace rear shock
absorber assembly. • Spring "3"
Damage
→Replace spring.
Fatigue
→Replace spring.
Move spring up and down.
• Spring guide "4" Wear/damage
→Replace spring
guide.
• Spring seat "5" Cracks/damage
→Replace.
• Bearing "6"
Free play exists/unsmooth revolu-
tion/rust
→Replace.
INSTALLING THE BEARING
1. Install: • Upper bearing "1"
Install the bearing parallel until the
stopper ring groove appears by
pressing its outer race.
Do not apply the grease on the
bearing outer race because it will
wear the rear shock absorber sur-
face on which the bearing is press
fitted.
2. Install:• Stopper ring (upper bearing) "1"
After installing the stopper ring, push
back the bearing until it contacts the
stopper ring.