2017 YAMAHA YFZ450R Owners Manual

7-14
7
Do not attempt to climb hills until you have mas-
tered basic maneuvers on flat ground. Always
check the terrain carefully before attempting any
hill. In all cases avoid inclines with slippery or
loose surfaces, or obstacles that might cause you
to lose control.
To climb a hill, you need traction, momentum, and
steady throttle. Travel fast enough to maintain mo-
mentum, but not so fast that you cannot react to
changes in the terrain as you climb.
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7-15
7It is important when climbing a hill to make sure
that your weight is transferred forward on the ATV.
This can be accomplished by leaning forward and,
on steeper inclines, standing on the footrests and
leaning forward over the handlebars. Whenever
possible, ride straight up hills.
Slow down when you reach the crest of the hill if
you cannot see clearly what is on the other side –
there could be another person, an obstacle, or a
sharp drop-off. Use common sense and remem-
ber that some hills are too steep for you to climb
or descend.
If you are climbing a hill and you find that you have
not properly judged your ability to make it to the
top, you should turn the ATV around while you still
have forward motion (provided you have the room
to do so) and go down the hill.
If your ATV has stalled or stopped and you believe
you can continue up the hill, restart carefully to
make sure you do not lift the front wheels which
could cause you to lose control. If you are unable
to continue up the hill, dismount the ATV on the
uphill side. Physically turn the ATV around and
then descend the hill. If you start to roll backwards, DO NOT apply the
rear brake, and apply the front brake gradually.
The ATV could easily tip over backwards. When
fully stopped, apply the rear brake as well, and
then lock the parking brake. Dismount the ATV im-
mediately on the uphill side or to a side if pointed
straight uphill. Turn the ATV around and remount,
following the procedure described in the Owner’s
Manual.
WARNING! Stalling, rolling backwards
or improperly dismounting while climbing a hill
could result in ATV overturning. If you cannot
control the ATV, dismount immediately on the
uphill side.
[EWB01803]
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7
RIDING DOWNHILL
WARNING
EWB01132Going down a hill improperly could cause over-
turns or loss of control. Always follow proper
procedures for going down hills as described
in this Owner’s Manual.
 Always check the terrain carefully before you
start down any hill. 
Never operate the ATV on hills too steep for
the ATV or for your abilities. The ATV can
overturn more easily on extremely steep hills
than on level surfaces or small hills.
 Shift your weight backward and to the up
side of the hill.
 Never go down a hill at high speed.
 Avoid going down a hill at an angle that
would cause the ATV to lean sharply to one
side. Go straight down the hill where possi-
ble.
 Improper braking can cause the wheels on
the uphill side to come off the ground or cau-
se loss of traction. Gradually apply only the
rear brake when going downhill.
When riding your ATV downhill, shift your weight
as far to the rear and uphill side of the ATV as pos-
sible. Move back on the seat and sit with your
arms straight. Choose a low gear which will allow
the engine compression to do most of the braking
for you.
Use caution while descending a hill with loose or
slippery surfaces. Braking ability and traction may
be adversely affected by these surfaces. Improper
braking may also cause a loss of traction. Gradu-
ally apply only the rear brake.
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7-17
7Whenever possible, ride your ATV straight down-
hill. Avoid sharp angles which could allow the ATV
to tip or roll over. Carefully choose your path and
ride no faster than you will be able to react to ob-
stacles which may appear.
CROSSING A SLOPE
WARNING
EWB01633Improperly crossing hills or turning on hills
could cause loss of control or cause the ATV to
overturn.

Always follow proper procedures as de-
scribed in the Owner’s Manual.
 Avoid hills with excessively slippery or loose
surfaces.
 Avoid crossing the side of a steep hill.
 Shift your weight to the uphill side of the ATV.
 Never attempt to turn the ATV around on any
hill until you have mastered the turning tech-
nique as described in the Owner’s Manual on
level ground. Be very careful when turning
on any hill. Traversing a sloping surface on your ATV requires
you to properly position your weight to maintain
proper balance. Be sure that you have learned the
basic riding skills on flat ground before attempting
to cross a sloping surface. Avoid slopes with slip-
pery surfaces or rough terrain that may upset your
balance.
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7
As you travel across a slope, lean your body in the
uphill direction. It may be necessary to correct the
steering when riding on loose surfaces by pointing
the front wheels slightly uphill. When riding on
slopes, be sure not to make sharp turns either up
or down hill.
If your ATV does begin to tip over, gradually steer
in the downhill direction if there are no obstacles
in your path. As you regain proper balance, grad-
ually steer again in the direction you wish to travel.
CROSSING THROUGH SHALLOW WATER
WARNING
EWB01642Operating this vehicle through deep or fast-
flowing water can lead to loss of control or an
overturn. To reduce your risk of drowning or
other injuries, use care when crossing through
water. Never operate this ATV water deeper
than the depth specified in your Owner’s Man-
ual, as tires may float, increasing the risk of an
overturn. The ATV can be used to cross slow moving, shal-
low water of up to a maximum of 35 cm (14 in) in
depth. Before entering the water, choose your
path carefully. Enter where there is no sharp drop
off, and avoid rocks or other obstacles which may
be slippery or upset the ATV. Drive slowly and
carefully.
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7-19
7Test your brakes after leaving the water. If neces-
sary, apply them several times to let friction dry
out the linings. Do not continue to ride your ATV
without verifying that you have regained proper
braking ability. WARNING! Wet brakes may have
reduced stopping ability, which could cause
loss of control.
[EWB02622]
After riding your ATV in water, be sure to drain the
trapped water by removing the check hose at the
bottom of the air filter case. NOTICE: Undrained
water can cause damage or improper opera-
tion.
[ECB00842]
Wash the ATV in fresh water if it has been operat-
ed in salt water or muddy conditions.
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7
RIDING OVER ROUGH TERRAIN
WARNING
EWB01652Riding improperly over obstacles could cause
loss of control or a collision. Before operating
in a new area, check for obstacles. Never at-
tempt to ride over large obstacles, such as lar-
ge rocks or fallen trees. When you go over
obstacles, always follow proper procedures as
described in the Owner’s Manual. Riding over rough terrain should be done with
caution. Look out for obstacles which could cause
damage to the ATV or could lead to an upset or accident. Be sure to keep your feet firmly mounted
on the footrests at all times. Avoid jumping the
ATV as loss of control and damage to the ATV may
result.
SLIDING AND SKIDDING
WARNING
EWB01663Skidding or sliding improperly may cause you
to lose control of this ATV. You may also regain
traction unexpectedly, which may cause the
ATV to overturn.

Learn to safely control skidding or sliding by
practicing at low speeds and on level,
smooth terrain.
 On extremely slippery surfaces, such as ice,
go slowly and be very cautious in order to re-
duce the chance of skidding or sliding out of
control. Care should be used when riding on loose or slip-
pery surfaces since the ATV may slide. If unex-
pected and uncorrected, sliding could lead to an
accident.
1. Air filter case check hose
1
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7To reduce the tendency for the front wheels to
slide in loose or slippery conditions, positioning
your weight over the front wheels will sometimes
help.
If the rear wheels of your ATV start to slide side-
ways, control can usually be regained (if there is
room to do so) by steering in the direction of the
slide. Applying the brakes or accelerating is not
recommended until you have corrected the slide.
With practice, over a period of time, skill at con-
trolled sliding can be developed. The terrain
should be chosen carefully before attempting
such maneuvers, since both stability and control
are reduced. Bear in mind that sliding maneuvers
should always be avoided on extremely slippery
surfaces such as ice, since all control may be lost.
WHAT TO DO IF...
This section is designed to be a reference guide
only. Be sure to read each section on riding tech-
niques completely.
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