2018 YAMAHA YZF-R3 Owners Manual

Periodic maintenance an d a djustment
6-20
6
EAU37914
Checkin g the brake lever free
play
There should be no free play at the
brake lever end. If there is free play,
have a Yamaha dealer inspect the
brake system.
WARNING
EWA14212
A soft or spon gy feelin g in the brake
lever can in dicate the presence of
air in the hy draulic system. If there is
air in the hy draulic system, have a
Yamaha dealer blee d the system be-
fore operatin g the vehicle. Air in the
hy draulic system will diminish the
b rakin g performance, which may re-
sult in loss of control an d an acci-
d ent.
EAU36505
Brake li ght switches
The brake light should come on just
before braking takes effect. The brake
light is activated by switches connect-
ed to the brake lever and brake pedal.
Since the brake light switches are
components of the anti-lock brake sys-
tem, they should only be serviced by a
Yamaha dealer.
1. No brake lever free play
1
UBR5E0E0.book Page 20 Wednesday, July 5, 2017 11:10 AM

Periodic maintenance an d a djustment
6-21
6
EAU22393
Checkin g the front an d rear
b rake pa ds
The front and rear brake pads must be
checked for wear at the intervals spec-
ified in the periodic maintenance and
lubrication chart.
EAU22432Front brake pa ds
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.
EAU36721Rear 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.
1. Brake pad wear indicator groove
1 1
1. Brake pad wear indicator groove
11
UBR5E0E0.book Page 21 Wednesday, July 5, 2017 11:10 AM

Periodic maintenance an d a djustment
6-22
6
EAU40262
Checkin g the brake flui d level
Before 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
Rear 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 brake sys-
tem, re ducing 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 specifie d 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 refilling . 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 d amage painte d
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 mark
1. Minimum level mark
Specified b rake flui d:
DOT 4
1
1
UBR5E0E0.book Page 22 Wednesday, July 5, 2017 11:10 AM

Periodic maintenance an d a djustment
6-23
6
EAU22734
Chan gin g the brake flui d
Have a Yamaha dealer change the
brake fluid every 2 years. In addition,
have the seals of the master cylinders
and brake calipers, as well as the brake
hoses replaced at the intervals listed
below or sooner if they are damaged or
leaking.
 Brake seals: every 2 years
 Brake hoses: every 4 years
EAU22762
Drive chain slack
The drive chain slack should be
checked before each ride and adjusted
if necessary.
EAU2277GTo check the drive chain slack
1. Place the motorcycle on the side- stand.
TIP
When checking and adjusting the drive
chain slack, there should be no weight
on the motorcycle.
2. Shift the transmission into theneutral position.
3. Measure the drive chain slack as shown.
4. If the drive chain slack is incorrect, adjust it as follows. NOTICE: Im-
proper drive chain slack will
overloa d the en gine as well as
other vital parts of the motorcy-
cle an d can lead to chain slip-
pa ge or breakag e. If the d rive
chain slack is more than , the
chain can d amage the frame,
swin garm, an d other parts. To
1. Drive chain slack
Drive chain slack:
35.0–45.0 mm (1.38–1.77 in)
1
UBR5E0E0.book Page 23 Wednesday, July 5, 2017 11:10 AM

Periodic maintenance an d a djustment
6-24
6
prevent this from occurrin
g,
keep the d rive chain slack with-
in the specifie d limits.
[ECA17791]
EAU62983
To adjust the d rive 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.
2. To tighten the drive chain, turn the drive chain slack adjusting nut on
each side of the swingarm in di-
rection (a). To loosen the drive
chain, turn the adjusting nut on
each side of the swingarm in di-
rection (b), and then push the rear
wheel forward.
TIP
Using 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
1
2
1. Drive chain slack adjusting nut
1. Alignment marks
2. Drive chain puller
Ti ghtenin g torques:
Axle nut:
57 N·m (5.7 kgf·m, 42 lb·ft)
Locknut: 16 N·m (1.6 kgf·m, 12 lb·ft)
1(a)
(b)
1
2
UBR5E0E0.book Page 24 Wednesday, July 5, 2017 11:10 AM

Periodic maintenance an d a djustment
6-25
6
EAU23026
Cleanin g an d lu bricatin g the
d rive chain
The 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 lubricated
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-ring s, 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 bles
The 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 cab le 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
UBR5E0E0.book Page 25 Wednesday, July 5, 2017 11:10 AM

Periodic maintenance an d a djustment
6-26
6
EAU49921
Checkin g an d lu bricatin g the
throttle grip an d cab le
The 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.
EAU44276
Checkin g an d lu bricatin g the
b rake an d shift pe dals
The 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
UBR5E0E0.book Page 26 Wednesday, July 5, 2017 11:10 AM

Periodic maintenance an d a djustment
6-27
6
EAU23144
Checkin g an d lu bricatin g the
b rake an d clutch levers
The 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 d
The 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 possi ble 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
UBR5E0E0.book Page 27 Wednesday, July 5, 2017 11:10 AM