2015 YAMAHA YZF-R3 Owners Manual

PERIODIC MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENT
6-20
6
EAU22393
Checking the front an d rear
b rake pa dsThe front and rear brake pads must be
checked for wear at the intervals spec-
ified in the periodic maintenance and
lubrication chart.
EAU22432
Front brake pad s
Each front brake pad is provided with
wear indicator grooves, which allow
you to check the brake pad wear with-
out having to disassemble the brake.
To check the brake pad wear, check
the wear indicator grooves. If a brake
pad has worn to the point that the wear indicator grooves have almost disap-
peared, have a Yamaha dealer replace
the brake pads as a set.
EAU36721
Rear
brake pa ds
Each rear brake pad is provided with
wear indicator grooves, which allow
you to check the brake pad wear with-
out having to disassemble the brake.
To check the brake pad wear, check
the wear indicator grooves. If a brake
pad has worn to the point that the wear
indicator grooves have almost disap-
peared, have a Yamaha dealer replace
the brake pads as a set.
EAU40262
Checkin g the brake flui d levelBefore riding, check that the brake fluid
is above the minimum level mark.
Check the brake fluid level with the top
of the reservoir level. Replenish the
brake fluid if necessary.
Front brake
1. Brake pad wear indicator groove
1
1
1. Brake pad wear indicator groove
11
1. Minimum level mark1
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PERIODIC MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENT
6-21
6Rear
brake
WARNING
EWA16011
Improper maintenance can result in
loss of brakin g a bility. O bserve
these precautions:  Insufficient brake flui d may al-
low air to enter the b rake sys-
tem, re ducin g brakin g
performance.
 Clean the filler cap before re-
moving . Use only DOT 4 b rake
flui d from a seale d container. 
Use only the specified b rake flu-
i d ; otherwise, the ru bber seals
may deteriorate, causin g leak-
a g e.
 Refill with the same type of
brake flui d. A ddin g a brake flui d
other than DOT 4 may result in a
harmful chemical reaction.
 Be careful that water or dust
d oes not enter the brake flui d
reservoir when refillin g. Water
will si gnificantly lower the boil-
in g point of the flui d an d may re-
sult in vapor lock, an d d ir
t may
clo g the ABS hy draulic unit
valves.
NOTICE
ECA17641
Brake flui d may damag e painted
surfaces or plastic parts. Always
clean up spille d flui d imme diately.As the brake pads wear, it is normal for
the brake fluid level to gradually go
down. A low brake fluid level may indi-
cate worn brake pads and/or brake
system leakage; therefore, be sure to
check the brake pads for wear and the
brake system for leakage. If the brake fluid level goes down suddenly, have a
Yamaha dealer check the cause before further riding.
1. Minimum level markSpecifie d b rake flui d:
DOT 4
1
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PERIODIC MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENT
6-22
6
EAU22733
Changin g the brake flui dHave a Yamaha dealer change the
brake fluid at the intervals specified in
the periodic maintenance and lubrica-
tion chart. In addition, have the oil seals
of the master cylinders and calipers as
well as the brake hoses replaced at the
intervals listed below or whenever they
are damaged or leaking.
 Oil seals: Replace every two
years.
 Brake hoses: Replace every four
years.
EAU22762
Drive chain slackThe drive chain slack should be
checked before each ride and adjusted
if necessary.
EAU22776
To check the drive chain slack
1. Place the motorcycle on the side- stand.TIPWhen checking and adjusting the drive
chain slack, there should be no weight
on the motorcycle.2. Shift the transmission into the neutral position.
3. Measure the drive chain slack as shown. 4. If the drive chain slack is incorrect,
adjust it as follows.
EAU62980
To a djust the drive chain slack
Consult a Yamaha dealer before ad-
justing the drive chain slack. 1. Remove the drive chain puller cap, and then loosen the axle nut and
the locknut on each side of the
swingarm.
Drive chain slack:35.0–45.0 mm (1.38–1.77 in)
1. Drive chain slack
1
UB02E0E0.book Page 22 Thursday, January 15, 2015 3:39 PM

PERIODIC MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENT
6-23
62. To tighten the drive chain, turn the
drive chain slack adjusting bolt on
each side of the swingarm in di-
rection (a). To loosen the drive
chain, turn the adjusting bolt on
each side of the swingarm in di-
rection (b), and then push the rear
wheel forward. NOTICE: Improp-
er drive chain slack will over-
loa d the en gine as well as other
vital parts of the motorcycle an d
can lead to chain slippa ge or
b reakag e. To prevent this from
occurrin g, keep the drive chain
slack within the specifie d limits.
[ECA10572]
TIPUsing the alignment marks on each
side of the swingarm, make sure that
both drive chain pullers are in the same
position for proper wheel alignment.
3. Tighten the axle nut, then the lock-
nuts to their specified torques.
4. Make sure that the drive chain pullers are in the same position,
the drive chain slack is correct,
and the drive chain moves
smoothly.
5. Install the drive chain puller caps.
1. Axle nut
2. Locknut
3. Drive chain puller cap
2
1
3
1. Drive chain slack adjusting nut
1. Alignment marks
2. Drive chain puller
1
(a)(b)
1
2
Ti
ghtenin g torques:
Axle nut: 57 Nm (5.7 m·kgf, 41 ft·lbf)
Locknut:
16 Nm (1.6 m·kgf, 12 ft·lbf)
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PERIODIC MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENT
6-24
6
EAU23026
Cleaning an d lu bricatin g the
d rive chainThe drive chain must be cleaned and
lubricated at the intervals specified in
the periodic maintenance and lubrica-
tion chart, otherwise it will quickly wear
out, especially when riding in dusty or
wet areas. Service the drive chain as
follows.NOTICE
ECA10584
The drive chain must b e lubricate d
after washin g the motorcycle, ri din g
in the rain or ri din g in wet areas.1. Clean the drive chain with kero-
sene and a small soft brush.
NOTICE: To prevent damag ing
the O-rin gs, do not clean the
d rive chain with steam cleaners,
hi gh-pressure washers or inap-
propriate solvents.
[ECA11122]
2. Wipe the drive chain dry.
3. Thoroughly lubricate the drive chain with a special O-ring chain
lubricant. NOTICE: Do not use
en gine oil or any other lu bri-
cants for the drive chain, as they may contain su
bstances that
coul d damag e the O-rin gs.
[ECA11112] EAU23098
Checkin
g an d lu bricatin g the
ca blesThe operation of all control cables and
the condition of the cables should be
checked before each ride, and the ca-
bles and cable ends should be lubri-
cated if necessary. If a cable is
damaged or does not move smoothly,
have a Yamaha dealer check or re-
place it. WARNING! Dama ge to the
outer housin g of cab les may result
in internal rustin g an d cause inter-
ference with ca ble movement. Re-
place damag ed cab les as soon as
possi ble to prevent unsafe con di-
tions.
[EWA10712]
Recommen ded lu bricant:
Yamaha cable lubricant or other
suitable cable lubricant
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PERIODIC MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENT
6-25
6
EAU49921
Checking an d lu bricatin g the
throttle grip an d cab leThe operation of the throttle grip
should be checked before each ride. In
addition, the cable should be lubricat-
ed by a Yamaha dealer at the intervals
specified in the periodic maintenance
chart.
EAU44275
Checkin g an d lu bricatin g the
b rake an d shift pe dalsThe operation of the brake and shift
pedals should be checked before each
ride, and the pedal pivots should be lu-
bricated if necessary.
Brake pe dal
Shift pe dal
Recommen ded lu bricant:
Lithium-soap-based grease
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PERIODIC MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENT
6-26
6
EAU23144
Checking an d lu bricatin g the
b rake an d clutch leversThe operation of the brake and clutch
levers should be checked before each
ride, and the lever pivots should be lu-
bricated if necessary.
Brake lever
Clutch lever
EAU23203
Checkin g an d lu bricatin g the
si destan dThe operation of the sidestand should
be checked before each ride, and the
sidestand pivot and metal-to-metal
contact surfaces should be lubricated
if necessary.
WARNING
EWA10732
If the si destan d d oes not move up
an d d own smoothly, have a Yamaha
d ealer check or repair it. Otherwise,
the si destan d coul d contact the
g roun d an d d istract the operator, re-
sultin g in a possib le loss of control.
Recommen ded lu bricants:
Brake lever:
Silicone grease
Clutch lever:
Lithium-soap-based grease
Recommen ded lu bricant:
Lithium-soap-based grease
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PERIODIC MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENT
6-27
6
EAUM1653
Lubricatin g the swin garm piv-
otsThe swingarm pivots must be lubricat-
ed by a Yamaha dealer at the intervals
specified in the periodic maintenance
and lubrication chart.
EAU23273
Checkin g the front forkThe condition and operation of the
front fork must be checked as follows
at the intervals specified in the periodic
maintenance and lubrication chart.
To check the con dition
Check the inner tubes for scratches,
damage and excessive oil leakage.
To check the operation 1. Place the vehicle on a level sur- face and hold it in an upright posi-
tion. WARNING! To avoi d injury,
securely support the vehicle so
there is no dan ger of it fallin g
over.
[EWA10752]
2. While applying the front brake, push down hard on the handle-
bars several times to check if the
front fork compresses and re-
bounds smoothly.
NOTICE
ECA10591
If any d amage is foun d or the front
fork does not operate smoothly,
have a Yamaha dealer check or re-
pair it.
Recommen ded lu bricant:
Lithium-soap-based grease
UB02E0E0.book Page 27 Thursday, January 15, 2015 3:39 PM