2017 YAMAHA VX jump start

Table of contents
Transporting on a trailer ................ 55
First-time operation ........................ 56
Engine break-in ............................. 56
Pre-operation checks ..................... 57
Pre-operation checklist .................... 57
Pre-operation check points........... 59
Pre-launch checks ........................... 59
Post-launch checks ......................... 65
Operation ......................................... 67
Operating your watercraft ............. 67
Getting to know your watercraft ...... 67
Learning to operate your
watercraft ...................................... 67
Riding position ................................. 68
Launching the watercraft ................. 68
Starting the engine on water ............ 68
Stopping the engine ......................... 69
Leaving the watercraft...................... 69
Operating the watercraft .................. 69
Turning the watercraft ...................... 70
Stopping the watercraft ................... 71
Operating the watercraft in reverse
or neutral....................................... 72
Boarding the watercraft ................... 73
Starting off........................................ 75
Capsized watercraft ......................... 76
Beaching and docking the
watercraft ...................................... 77
Operating in weeded areas .............. 77
After removing the watercraft from
the water ....................................... 78
Care and storage............................. 79
Post-operation care ...................... 79
Flushing the cooling water
passages....................................... 79
Cleaning the watercraft .................... 80
Battery care ...................................... 80
Long-term storage ........................ 83
Cleaning ........................................... 83
Lubrication ....................................... 83Rustproofing ..................................... 83
Maintenance .................................... 85
Maintenance ................................. 85
Tool kit.............................................. 85
Periodic maintenance chart ............. 86
Engine oil and oil filter ...................... 88
Specifications .................................. 89
Specifications ............................... 89
Trouble recovery ............................. 90
Troubleshooting ............................ 90
Troubleshooting chart ...................... 90
Emergency procedures ................ 93
Cleaning the jet intake and
impeller ......................................... 93
Raising the reverse gate .................. 94
Jumping the battery ......................... 94
Towing the watercraft....................... 95
Submerged watercraft ..................... 95
Index................................................. 97
UF4G71E0.book Page 2 Wednesday, July 27, 2016 9:32 AM

Safety information
11
EJU43321
Cruising limitations
Scan constantly for people, objects, and
other watercraft. Be alert for conditions
that limit your visibility or block your vision
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.
Take early action to avoid collisions. Re-
member, watercraft and other boats do not
have brakes. In addition, the Reverse with
Intuitive Deceleration Electronics (RiDE)
system is not a braking device for avoiding
dangerous situations. The RiDE system is
an electronic system for controlling the en-
gine speed and reverse gate, which is lo-
cated near the jet thrust nozzle. The RiDE
lever located at the left handlebar grip can
be used to change the direction of the jet
thrust so that the watercraft moves in re-
verse or is in neutral. The RiDE system as-
sists the operator when slowing down and
during slow-speed maneuvering, such as
launching, beaching, and docking.
Avoid sharp turns, slowing down rapidly by
squeezing the RiDE lever forcefully, and
other maneuvers that make it hard for oth-ers to avoid you or understand where you
are going.
Avoid areas with submerged objects or
shallow water.
Do not release the throttle lever when trying
to steer away from objects—you need
throttle to steer. Always check throttle and
steering controls before starting the water-
craft.
Ride within your limits and avoid aggres-
sive maneuvers to reduce the risk of loss of
control, ejection, and collision.
This is a high performance boat—not a toy.
Sharp turns or jumping wakes or waves
can increase the risk of back/spinal injury
(paralysis), facial injuries, and broken legs,
ankles, and other bones. Do not jump
wakes or waves.
Do not operate the watercraft in rough wa-
ter, bad weather, or when visibility is poor;
this may lead to an accident causing injury
or death. Be alert to the possibility of ad-
verse weather. Take note of weather fore-
casts and the prevailing weather
conditions before setting out on your wa-
tercraft.
As with any water sport, you should not op-
erate your watercraft without someone else
nearby. If you operate further than swim-
ming distance from shore, you should be
accompanied by another boat or water-
craft, but make sure you stay a safe dis-
tance away. It’s good, common sense.
Never operate in water that is less than 60
cm (2 ft) deep from the bottom of the wa-
tercraft, otherwise you increase your chan-
UF4G71E0.book Page 11 Wednesday, July 27, 2016 9:32 AM

Trouble recovery
94
(2) Remove any weeds or debris from
around the jet intake, drive shaft, impel-
ler, jet pump housing, and jet thrust noz-
zle.
If debris is difficult to remove, consult a
Yamaha dealer.
EJU43472Raising the reverse gate
If the RiDE system malfunctions and the re-
verse gate remains in the lowered position,
the watercraft will not be able to move for-
ward.
After raising the reverse gate so that the wa-
tercraft can move forward, immediately re-
turn to shore and have a Yamaha dealer
service the watercraft.
To raise the reverse gate:
(1) Stop the engine and remove the clip from
the engine shut-off switch.
(2) Enter the water and move to the rear of
the watercraft.
(3) Slide the shift rod joint toward the bow,
and then disconnect the shift rod joint
from the ball joint.(4) Raise the reverse gate to the forward po-
sition.
TIP:
While the shift rod is disconnected, the re-
verse gate will not move to the neutral po-
sition or reverse position even if the RiDE
lever is squeezed.
If the RiDE lever is squeezed while the shift
rod is disconnected, the watercraft will
move forward.
EJU34642Jumping the battery
If the watercraft battery has run down, the en-
gine can be started using a 12-volt booster
battery and jumper cables.
EJU34664Connecting the jumper cables
WARNING
EWJ01251
To avoid battery explosion and serious
damage to the electrical system:
Do not reverse the polarity of the jumper
cables when connecting to the batter-
ies.
Do not connect the negative (–) jumper
cable to the negative (–) terminal of the
watercraft battery.
Do not touch the positive (+) jumper ca-
ble to the negative (–) jumper cable.
1Shift rod joint
2Ball joint
12
1Reverse gate
2Forward position
1
2
UF4G71E0.book Page 94 Wednesday, July 27, 2016 9:32 AM

Trouble recovery
95
(1) Connect the positive (+) jumper cable to
the positive (+) battery terminals of both
batteries.
(2) Connect one end of the negative (–)
jumper cable to the negative (–) battery
terminal of the booster battery.
(3) Connect the other end of the negative (–)
jumper cable to an engine hanger.
(4) Start the engine, and then disconnect the
jumper cables by reversing the steps
above. (See page 27 for information on
starting the engine.)
EJU34716Towing the watercraft
WARNING
EWJ00812
The operator of the towing boat must
keep speed to a minimum and avoid
traffic or obstacles which could be a
hazard to the operator on the water-
craft.
The towline should be long enough so
that the watercraft will not collide with
the towing boat when slowing down.
If the watercraft becomes inoperative in the
water, it can be towed to shore.To tow the watercraft:
Use a towline that is three times the com-
bined length of the towing boat and the wa-
tercraft.
(1) Securely attach the towline to the bow
eye of the watercraft being towed.
(2) Sit astride the seat and hold on to the
handlebars in order to balance the water-
craft. NOTICE: The bow must be kept
up out of the water during towing, oth-
erwise water could flood the engine
compartment or water could flow
back into the engine, causing severe
engine damage.
[ECJ01331]
Tow the watercraft at 8 km/h (5 mph) or less.
NOTICE: Tow the watercraft at 8 km/h (5
mph) or less, otherwise water could flood
the engine compartment or water could
flow back into the engine, causing severe
engine damage.
[ECJ01322]
EJU36156
Submerged watercraft
If the watercraft is submerged or flooded with
water, drain the bilge water from the engine
compartment. Then, have a Yamaha dealer
service the watercraft as soon as possible.
If the watercraft was submerged:
(1) Remove the watercraft from the water
and drain the water from the storage
compartments. (See page 46 for infor-
1Positive (+) jumper cable
2Booster battery
3Negative (–) jumper cable
4Engine hanger
1
23
41Bow eye
1
UF4G71E0.book Page 95 Wednesday, July 27, 2016 9:32 AM

97
Index
A
After removing the watercraft from the
water ..................................................... 78
B
Battery care.............................................. 80
Battery checks ......................................... 60
Battery, jumping ....................................... 94
Beaching and docking the watercraft ...... 77
Bilge water check..................................... 60
Bilge water, draining ................................ 54
Bilge water, draining on land ................... 54
Bilge water, draining on water ................. 54
Boarding alone ......................................... 73
Boarding and starting off from a dock ..... 76
Boarding the watercraft ........................... 73
Boarding with passenger(s) ..................... 74
Bow eye ................................................... 45
Bow storage compartment ...................... 46
Builder’s plate ............................................ 2
C
Capsized watercraft ................................. 76
Check engine warning ............................. 41
Cleaning ................................................... 83
Cleaning the watercraft ............................ 80
Cleat ......................................................... 45
Cooling water pilot outlet ......................... 29
Cooling water pilot outlet check .............. 65
Craft Identification Number (CIN)............... 1
Cruise assist
(VX Deluxe / VX Cruiser / VX Limited) ... 36
Cruising limitations................................... 11
E
Emergency procedures ............................ 93
Engine break-in ........................................ 56
Engine compartment check ..................... 59
Engine idling speed check ....................... 66
Engine oil ................................................. 52
Engine oil and oil filter .............................. 88
Engine oil level check............................... 60
Engine oil requirements ........................... 52
Engine overheat warning ......................... 41
Engine serial number ................................. 1
Engine shut-off cord (lanyard) check ....... 62
Engine shut-off switch ............................. 27
Engine stop switch................................... 27Engine unit check ..................................... 60
Enjoy your watercraft responsibly ............ 19
Equipment ................................................ 43
F
Fire extinguisher check ............................ 64
Fire extinguisher holder and cover........... 48
Fire extinguisher holder, cover, and
band checks ......................................... 63
Flushing the cooling water passages....... 79
Fuel .......................................................... 50
Fuel level check........................................ 59
Fuel level meter ........................................ 40
Fuel level warning..................................... 40
Fuel requirements .................................... 50
Fuel system checks ................................. 59
G
Getting to know your watercraft .............. 67
Glossary, watercraft ................................. 20
Glove compartment ................................. 47
H
Handgrip .................................................. 44
Hazard information................................... 15
Hood check .............................................. 65
Hour meter ............................................... 42
Hull and deck check ................................ 64
I
Identification numbers ............................... 1
Information display................................... 38
J
Jet intake and impeller, cleaning.............. 93
Jet intake checks ..................................... 64
Jet thrust nozzle and reverse gate
check .................................................... 64
Jumper cables, connecting ...................... 94
L
Labels, important ....................................... 4
Labels, other .............................................. 8
Labels, warning .......................................... 5
Launching the watercraft ......................... 68
Learning to operate your watercraft......... 67
Leaving the watercraft.............................. 69
Limitations on who may operate the
watercraft .............................................. 10
Long-term storage ................................... 83
UF4G71E0.book Page 97 Wednesday, July 27, 2016 9:32 AM