FOOLPROOF STARTING TIPS FOR YZ-F OWNERS

There is no doubt that the Yamaha YZ-F will encourage lots of new riders into the four-stroke fold. The rite of passage for any neophyte four-stroke rider is starting one of the beasts. The golden rule–tattoo this on your forehead is: “Thou shall not touch the throttle at any time during the starting process.”
 If you are smart, you will do exactly what we tell you. If you’re not smart…good luck.

 Step one: With the transmission in neutral, turn the gas on and pull the choke out.

 Step two: Kick the engine through slowly until you come to the hard spot (where the kickstarter will not move). This is called “bringing it up on compression.”

 Step three: Once you have brought it up on compression, follow these three steps: (1) Pull the compression release in. (2) Move the kickstarter about one inch past compression. Do not move the kickstarter so far that the piston goes through compression and moves too far down into its intake stroke. A little dab will do ya. (3) Once you have nudged the piston over top dead center, allow the kickstarter to return to the top of its arc.

 Step four: Release the compression release.

 Step five: Kick with a steady but full stroke (from the top of the kickstarter’s arc all the way until the kickstarter hits the footpeg). If you did everything as prescribed, the YZ-F will start. However, if you touched the throttle, it will not.

 Throttle tip: instead of holding onto the throttle with your right hand, hold onto the brake master cylinder.

 Hot starting tip: Pull the hot start button out and follow steps one through five. Push the hot start button in as soon as the engine starts.

 Cold start tip: Before you start the YZ-F for the first time, give the throttle two little blips. This will put a small dose of fuel into the top-end. No more than two blips. Never blip the throttle before starting a hot or warm engine.

 Enemy tip: If you don’t own a YZ-F but want to ruin the day of a YZ-F rider who you don’t particularly like, go over to his unstarted YZ and give the throttle four or five healthy twists. The accelerator pump will fill the engine with fuel and it won’t start until the following Thursday.

 The word: The Yamaha YZ-F isn’t the easiest starting full-size four-stroke engine made–that honor goes to the KTM 520SX or anything with an electric starter, but the YZ-F will start every time–if you follow the drill..