2015 YAMAHA VX Owners Manual

Operation
75
(See page 32 for shift system operation pro-
cedures.)
TIP:
This model is equipped with a function which
limits the engine speed in neutral.
EJU36087Boarding the watercraft
WARNING
EWJ01112
Be sure the operator and any passengers
have practiced boarding from the water
while still close to shore before riding. A
person who has made many unsuccessful
attempts to get back on the watercraft
may become fatigued and suffer from ex-
posure, increasing the risk of injury and
drowning.
Board the watercraft in water free from
weeds and debris and at least 60 cm (2 ft)
deep from the bottom of the watercraft.NOTICE: Never run the engine in water
that is less than 60 cm (2 ft) deep from the
bottom of the watercraft, otherwise peb-
bles or sand could be sucked into the jet
intake, causing impeller damage and en-
gine overheating.
[ECJ00473]
TIP:
VX Deluxe / VX Cruiser: This watercraft is
equipped with a reboarding step, which can
be lowered and used to assist in reboarding.
(See page 45 for information on operating the
reboarding step.)
EJU36354Boarding alone
(1) From the rear of the watercraft, place
both hands on the boarding platform,
pull yourself up, and then grasp the
handgrip with one hand.
1“N” (Neutral position)
160 cm (2 ft)
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Operation
76
(2) Pull yourself up to a kneeling position on
the boarding platform, and then move to
the seat and sit astride.
(3) Attach the engine shut-off cord (lanyard)
to your left wrist, and then attach the clip
to the engine shut-off switch.
(4) Grip the handlebars with both hands and
place both feet on the floor of the foot-
well.
(5) Look in all directions, start the engine,
and then start off slowly.
EJU43260Boarding with passenger(s)
WARNING
EWJ01800
Severe internal injuries can occur if wa-
ter is forced into body cavities as a re-
sult of being near the jet thrust nozzle.
Do not start the engine until the passen-
gers are seated with their feet on the
floor of the footwell and are securelyholding on to the person in front of them
or to the handgrip provided.
Before boarding the watercraft, make
sure that the engine is stopped. If the
engine is running, the reverse gate may
move down and a person boarding
could be pinched.
The heavier the total weight of the operator
and passenger(s), the more difficult it will be
to balance the watercraft. Do not operate the
watercraft when the total weight exceeds 240
kg (530 lb) including any cargo.
To board with passenger(s):
(1) Board as noted in the previous section
“Boarding alone”.
(2) Grip the handlebars with both hands and
place both feet on the floor of the foot-
well.
(3) Have the first passenger move to the rear
of the watercraft.
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Operation
77
(4) Have the first passenger board using the
same procedure as the operator, place
their feet on the floor of the footwell, and
securely hold on to the operator.
(5) Have the second passenger follow the
same procedure. When the second pas-
senger is boarding, try to balance the
watercraft together with the first passen-
ger.
(6) Make sure that the passenger(s) have
their feet on the floor of the footwell andare securely holding on to the person in
front of them or to the handgrip provided.
(7) Attach the engine shut-off cord (lanyard)
to your left wrist, and then attach the clip
to the engine shut-off switch.
(8) Look in all directions, start the engine,
and then start off slowly.
EJU33083Starting off
WARNING
EWJ00712
To avoid collisions:
Scan constantly for people, objects, and
other watercraft. Be alert for conditions
that limit your visibility or block your vi-
sion of others.
Operate defensively at safe speeds and
keep a safe distance away from people,
objects, and other watercraft.
Do not follow directly behind watercraft
or other boats. Do not go near others to
spray or splash them with water. Avoid
sharp turns or other maneuvers that
make it hard for others to avoid you or
understand where you are going. Avoid
areas with submerged objects or shal-
low water.
Take early action to avoid collisions. Re-
member, watercraft and other boats do
not have brakes. Do not release the
throttle lever when trying to steer away
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Operation
78
from objects—you need throttle to
steer.
NOTICE
ECJ01341
Never run the engine in water that is less
than 60 cm (2 ft) deep from the bottom of
the watercraft, otherwise pebbles or sand
could be sucked into the jet intake, caus-
ing impeller damage and engine overheat-
ing.
EJU43271Starting off from a trailer
(1) Launch the watercraft.
(2) Attach the engine shut-off cord (lanyard)
to your left wrist, and then attach the clip
to the engine shut-off switch.
(3) Look in all directions, and then start the
engine.
(4) Squeeze the RiDE lever and move the
watercraft back slowly. (See page 32 for
RiDE lever operation procedures.)
EJU33114Boarding and starting off from a dock
(1) Board the watercraft from the side.
(2) Attach the engine shut-off cord (lanyard)
to your left wrist, and then attach the clip
to the engine shut-off switch.
(3) Push the watercraft away from the dock,
grip the handlebars with both hands, andplace both feet on the floor of the foot-
well.
(4) Look in all directions, start the engine,
and then start off slowly.
EJU33236Capsized watercraft
WARNING
EWJ00672
Improper uprighting can cause injury.
Be sure to shut the engine off by pulling
on the engine shut-off cord (lanyard) to
remove the clip from the engine shut-off
switch.
Do not put your hands in the intake
grate.
If the watercraft capsizes, turn it over imme-
diately.
To upright the watercraft:
(1) Remove the clip from the engine shut-off
switch.
(2) Swim to the rear of the watercraft. Turn
the watercraft over clockwise by pulling
on the ride plate with your left hand while
pushing down on the gunwale with your
right hand or foot.
If the port (left) side of the capsized wa-
tercraft is tilting up, push down on the
gunwale so that the port (left) side is
down before turning the watercraft
clockwise. NOTICE: Do not turn the
watercraft over counterclockwise,
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Operation
79
otherwise water can enter the engine,
which can result in severe damage.
[ECJ00542]
(3) Start the engine and operate the water-
craft at planing speed to drain the bilge
water from the engine compartment.
(See page 55 for information on draining
the bilge water. If the engine does not
start, see “Towing the watercraft” on
page 98 or “Submerged watercraft” on
page 99.) NOTICE: Do not run the en-
gine at full throttle for at least 1 minute
after the engine has been restarted.
Bilge water in the engine compart-
ment can splash into the engine,
which can result in severe damage.
[ECJ00554]
EJU43281
Beaching and docking the watercraft
To beach the watercraft:
(1) Make sure that there are no boats, swim-
mers, or obstacles near the beach.(2) Release the throttle lever to reduce
speed about 100 m (330 ft) before you
reach the intended beaching area.
(3) Slowly approach the beach using the
throttle lever and RiDE lever to control
the watercraft speed.
(4) After reaching land, stop the engine, and
then get off the watercraft and pull it up
on the beach.
To dock the watercraft:
(1) Make sure that there are no boats, swim-
mers, or obstacles near the dock.
(2) Release the throttle lever to reduce
speed about 100 m (330 ft) away from
the dock.
(3) Slowly approach the dock using the
throttle lever and RiDE lever to control
the watercraft speed.
(4) After coming alongside the dock, stop
the engine, and then get off the water-
craft.
EJU37194Operating in weeded areas
Always avoid using your watercraft in areas
where weed growth is thick. If operating in
weeded areas is unavoidable, alternately
squeeze the throttle lever and relax your grip
on the throttle lever to vary the engine speed.
Weeds tend to become clogged more when
operating at a steady speed and at trolling
speed. If weeds may have clogged the intake
area, clean the jet intake. (See page 95 for in-
formation on the jet intake.)
EJU40242After removing the watercraft from
the water
NOTICE
ECJ01311
Do not run the engine over 4000 r/min on
land. Also, do not run the engine for more
than 15 seconds without supplying water,
otherwise the engine could overheat.
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Operation
80
After operating and removing the watercraft
from the water, promptly discharge the re-
maining water from the cooling water pas-
sages.
To discharge water from the cooling water
passages:
(1) Make sure that the area around the wa-
tercraft is clear, and then start the en-
gine.
(2) Discharge the remaining water out of the
cooling water passages by alternately
squeezing and releasing the throttle lever
quickly for 10 to 15 seconds.
(3) Stop the engine.
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Care and storage
81
EJU37146
Post-operation care
WARNING
EWJ00331
Always place the watercraft upright in a
horizontal position when storing it, other-
wise fuel could leak out into the engine or
engine compartment, which could create
a fire hazard.
After using the watercraft, always take it out
of the water, clean it, and store it. Leaving the
watercraft in the water for extended periods
will accelerate the rate of normal deteriora-
tion of the jet pump and hull. Marine organ-
isms and corrosion are some of the
conditions that can shorten the life of many
watercraft components.
EJU43651Flushing the cooling water passages
NOTICE
ECJ01311
Do not run the engine over 4000 r/min on
land. Also, do not run the engine for more
than 15 seconds without supplying water,
otherwise the engine could overheat.
Flush the cooling water passages to prevent
them from clogging with salt, sand, or dirt.
(1) Place the watercraft in a horizontal posi-
tion.
(2) Remove the seats and watertight stor-
age compartment. (See page 44 for seat
removal and installation procedures and
page 49 for information on the watertight
storage compartment.)(3) Connect the garden hose adapter to a
garden hose.
(4) Loosen the flushing hose connector cap
and remove it. Insert the garden hose
adapter into the flushing hose connector
by pushing and twisting it until it is se-
curely connected.
(5) Connect the garden hose to a water tap.
(6) Make sure that the area around the wa-
tercraft is clear, and then start the en-
gine. Immediately after the engine starts,
fully turn the water supply on so that wa-
1Garden hose adapter
1Garden hose adapter
2Flushing hose connector
3Flushing hose connector cap
3
2
1
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Care and storage
82
ter flows out continually from the jet
thrust nozzle.
(7) Run the engine at idling speed for about
3 minutes watching the engine condition.
If the engine stops while flushing, turn
the water supply off immediately and
perform the procedure again from step 6.
NOTICE: Do not supply water to the
cooling water passages when the en-
gine is not running. The water could
flow back through the muffler into the
engine, causing severe engine dam-
age.
[ECJ00123]
(8) Turn the water supply off.
(9) Discharge the remaining water out of the
cooling water passages by alternately
squeezing and releasing the throttle lever
quickly for 10 to 15 seconds.
(10) Stop the engine.
(11) Remove the garden hose adapter, and
then securely install the flushing hose
connector cap by tightening it until it
stops.
(12) Securely install the watertight storage
compartment and seats in their original
positions.
EJU43840Cleaning the watercraft
(1) Remove the seats. (See page 44 for seat
removal and installation procedures.)
(2) If the watercraft will be stored for a week
or more, rustproof the internal enginecomponents to help prevent corrosion.
(See page 85 for information on rust-
proofing the internal engine compo-
nents.)
(3) Rinse the engine and engine compart-
ment with a small amount of water.
NOTICE: Do not use high-pressure
water when rinsing the engine or en-
gine compartment as severe engine
damage could result.
[ECJ00572]
(4) Drain the water from the engine com-
partment. (See page 55 for information
on draining the bilge water.)
(5) Wipe the engine and engine compart-
ment with a dry cloth.
(6) Wash down the hull, deck, and jet pump
with fresh water.
(7) Wipe the hull, deck, and jet pump with a
dry cloth.
(8) Wipe all vinyl and rubber components,
such as the seats and engine compart-
ment seals, with a vinyl protectant.
(9) To minimize corrosion, spray metallic
parts of the hull, deck, and engine with a
rust inhibitor.
(10) Allow the engine compartment to air dry
completely before installing the seats.
(11) Securely install the seats in their original
positions.
EJU33687Battery care
If the watercraft will not be used for more than
a month, remove the battery from the water-
craft, check it, and then store it in a cool, dry
place.
WARNING
EWJ00792
Battery electrolyte is poisonous and dan-
gerous, causing severe burns, etc. Elec-
trolyte contains sulfuric acid. Avoid
contact with skin, eyes, or clothing.
Antidotes
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