Page 24 of 88

INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-8
3
EAU13212
Fuel Make sure there is sufficient gasoline in
the tank.
WARNING
EWA10881
Gasoline and gasoline vapors are
extremely flammable. To avoid fires
and explosions and to reduce the
risk of injury when refueling, followthese instructions.
1. Before refueling, turn off the en-
gine and be sure that no one is sit-
ting on the vehicle. Never refuel
while smoking, or while in the vi-
cinity of sparks, open flames, or
other sources of ignition such as
the pilot lights of water heaters and
clothes dryers.
2. Do not overfill the fuel tank. Stop
filling when the fuel reaches the
bottom of the filler tube. Because
fuel expands when it heats up,
heat from the engine or the sun
can cause fuel to spill out of the
fuel tank.3. Wipe up any spilled fuel immedi-
ately. NOTICE: Immediately wipe
off spilled fuel with a clean, dry,
soft cloth, since fuel may deteri-
orate painted surfaces or plastic
parts.
[ECA10071]
4. Be sure to securely close the fuel
tank cap.
WARNING
EWA15151
Gasoline is poisonous and can
cause injury or death. Handle gaso-
line with care. Never siphon gaso-
line by mouth. If you should swallow
some gasoline or inhale a lot of gas-
oline vapor, or get some gasoline in
your eyes, see your doctor immedi-ately. If gasoline spills on your skin,
wash with soap and water. If gaso-
line spills on your clothing, change
your clothes.
EAU43421
NOTICE
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
1. Fuel tank filler tube
2. Fuel level
Recommended fuel:
PREMIUM UNLEADED GASOLINE
ONLY
Fuel tank capacity:
8.5 L (2.25 US gal, 1.87 Imp.gal)
Fuel reserve amount (when the fuel
level warning indicator flashes):
1.6 L (0.42 US gal, 0.35 Imp.gal)
U22BE0E0.book Page 8 Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:00 AM
Page 25 of 88
INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-9
3 brand. Use of unleaded fuel will extend
spark plug life and reduce maintenance
costs.
EAU13445
Catalytic converters This vehicle is equipped with catalytic
converters in the exhaust system.
WARNING
EWA10862
The exhaust system is hot after op-
eration. To prevent a fire hazard or
burns:
Do not park the vehicle near
possible fire hazards such as
grass or other materials that
easily burn.
Park the vehicle in a place
where pedestrians or children
are not likely to touch the hot
exhaust system.
Make sure that the exhaust sys-
tem has cooled down before do-
ing any maintenance work.
Do not allow the engine to idle
more than a few minutes. Long
idling can cause a build-up ofheat.
NOTICE
ECA10701
Use only unleaded gasoline. The use
of leaded gasoline will cause unre-
pairable damage to the catalyticconverter.
U22BE0E0.book Page 9 Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:00 AM
Page 27 of 88

INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-11
3 crease the spring preload and thereby
soften the suspension, turn the adjust-
ing ring in direction (b).
Align the appropriate notch in the ad-
justing ring with the position indicator
on the shock absorber.
For WR125R only
WARNING
EWA10221
This shock absorber assembly con-
tains highly pressurized nitrogen
gas. Read and understand the fol-
lowing information before handling
the shock absorber assembly.
Do not tamper with or attempt to
open the cylinder assembly.
Do not subject the shock ab-
sorber assembly to an open
flame or other high heat source.This may cause the unit to ex-
plode due to excessive gas
pressure.
Do not deform or damage the
cylinder in any way. Cylinder
damage will result in poor
damping performance.
Do not dispose of a damaged or
worn-out shock absorber as-
sembly yourself. Take the shock
absorber assembly to a Yamahadealer for any service.
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.TIPThe 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 described
Spring preload setting:
Minimum (soft):
1
Standard:
3
Maximum (hard):
7
U22BE0E0.book Page 11 Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:00 AM
Page 29 of 88

INSTRUMENT AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS
3-13
3
With the engine turned off:
1. Move the sidestand down.
2. Make sure that the engine stop switch is set to “
3. Turn the key on.
4. Shift the transmission into the neutral position.
5. Push the start switch.
Does the engine start?
With the engine still running:
6. Move the sidestand up.
7. Keep the clutch lever pulled.
8. Shift the transmission into gear.
9. Move the sidestand down.
Does the engine stall?
After the engine has stalled:
10. Move the sidestand up.
11. Keep the clutch lever pulled.
12. Push the start switch.
Does the engine start?
The system is OK. The motorcycle can be ridden.The neutral switch may not be working correctly.
The motorcycle should not be ridden until
checked by a Yamaha dealer.
The sidestand switch may not be working correctly.
The motorcycle should not be ridden until
checked by a Yamaha dealer.
The clutch switch may not be working correctly.
The motorcycle should not be ridden until
checked by a Yamaha dealer.
YES NO YES NO YES NO
If a malfunction is noted, have a Yamaha
dealer check the system before riding.
WARNING
”.
U22BE0E0.book Page 13 Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:00 AM
Page 30 of 88

FOR YOUR SAFETY – PRE-OPERATION CHECKS
4-1
4
EAU15596
Inspect your vehicle each time you use it to make sure the vehicle is in safe operating condition. Always follow the inspection
and maintenance procedures and schedules described in the Owner’s Manual.
WARNING
EWA11151
Failure to inspect or maintain the vehicle properly increases the possibility of an accident or equipment damage.
Do not operate the vehicle if you find any problem. If a problem cannot be corrected by the procedures provided inthis manual, have the vehicle inspected by a Yamaha dealer.
Before using this vehicle, check the following points:
ITEM CHECKS PAGE
FuelCheck fuel level in fuel tank.
Refuel if necessary.
Check fuel line for leakage.3-8
Engine oilCheck oil level in engine.
If necessary, add recommended oil to specified level.
Check vehicle for oil leakage.6-9
CoolantCheck coolant level in reservoir.
If necessary, add recommended coolant to specified level.
Check cooling system for leakage.6-12
Front brakeCheck operation.
If soft or spongy, have Yamaha dealer bleed hydraulic system.
Check brake pads for wear.
Replace if necessary.
Check fluid level in reservoir.
If necessary, add recommended brake fluid to specified level.
Check hydraulic system for leakage.6-19, 6-20
U22BE0E0.book Page 1 Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:00 AM
Page 33 of 88

OPERATION AND IMPORTANT RIDING POINTS
5-1
5
EAU15951
Read the Owner’s Manual carefully to
become familiar with all controls. If
there is a control or function you do not
understand, ask your Yamaha dealer.
WARNING
EWA10271
Failure to familiarize yourself with
the controls can lead to loss of con-
trol, which could cause an accidentor injury.
EAU45310
TIPThis model is equipped with a lean an-
gle sensor to stop the engine in case of
a turnover. To start the engine after a
turnover, be sure to turn the main
switch to “OFF” and then to “ON”. Fail-
ing to do so will prevent the engine from
starting even though the engine willcrank when pushing the start switch.
EAUM2322
Starting the engine In order for the ignition circuit cut-off
system to enable starting, one of the
following conditions must be met:
The transmission is in the neutral
position.
The transmission is in gear with
the clutch lever pulled and the sid-
estand up.
See page 3-12 for more informa-
tion.
1. Turn the key to “ON” and make
sure that the engine stop switch is
set to“”.
The following warning lights and
indicator light should come on for a
few seconds, then go off.
Neutral indicator light
Turn signal indicator light
High beam indicator light
Coolant temperature warning
light
Engine trouble warning light
U22BE0E0.book Page 1 Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:00 AM
Page 34 of 88

OPERATION AND IMPORTANT RIDING POINTS
5-2
5
NOTICE
ECA11831
If a warning or indicator light does
not go off, see page 3-2 for the corre-
sponding warning and indicatorlight circuit check.
2. Shift the transmission into the neu-
tral position. (See page 5-2.) The
neutral indicator light should come
on. If not, ask a Yamaha dealer to
check the electrical circuit.
3. Start the engine by pushing the
start switch. NOTICE: For maxi-
mum engine life, never acceler-
ate hard when the engine is
cold!
[ECA11041]
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 bat-
tery. Do not crank the engine more
than 10 seconds on any one at-
tempt.
EAU16671
Shifting Shifting 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 itstravel, and then slightly raise it.
NOTICE
ECA10260
Even with the transmission in
the neutral position, do not
coast for long periods of time
with the engine off, and do not
tow the motorcycle for long dis-
tances. The transmission is
properly lubricated only when
the engine is running. Inade-
quate lubrication may damage
the transmission.
Always use the clutch while
changing gears to avoid damag-
ing the engine, transmission,
and drive train, which are not
designed to withstand theshock of forced shifting.
1. Shift pedal
2. Neutral position
U22BE0E0.book Page 2 Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:00 AM
Page 36 of 88
OPERATION AND IMPORTANT RIDING POINTS
5-4
5
EAU17213
Parking When parking, stop the engine, and
then remove the key from the main
switch.
WARNING
EWA10311
Since the engine and exhaust
system can become very hot,
park in a place where pedestri-
ans or children are not likely to
touch them and be burned.
Do not park on a slope or on soft
ground, otherwise the vehicle
may overturn, increasing the
risk of a fuel leak and fire.
Do not park near grass or other
flammable materials whichmight catch fire.
U22BE0E0.book Page 4 Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:00 AM