How to Put a Tether on a YFZ450

Preparing your Yamaha YFZ450 for a season of racing will require you to install a tether-operated kill switch, as mandated by nearly every ATV racing organization around the country. These switches are controlled by a tether worn around the rider's wrist. The tether is pulled out of the switch if the rider is thrown from his machine, grounding the ignition system to the ATV's frame to stop the motor. In most cases, installing a tethered switch onto your YFZ450 is a fairly simple procedure, but it will require you to remove the plastic fenders to access the ATV's wiring.

Things You'll Need

  • Socket wrench
  • 10-mm socket
  • Phillips screwdriver
  • Inline wire splicing connector
  • Pliers
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Instructions

    • 1

      Release the ATV's seat, using the latch below the left side of the seat. Remove the front fender from your ATV, using a socket wrench and a 10-mm socket.

    • 2

      Follow the magneto's wiring from the top of the motor's left crankcase cover to the ATV's wiring harness. The wiring will either lead toward the front of the ATV's frame or the rear of the motor, depending on the year your Warrior was produced. Unplug the stator's connector from the ATV's wiring harness.

    • 3

      Mount the tethered kill switch onto the right handlebar, using a Phillips screwdriver. Route the switch's longer wire to the stator's connector and the shorter ground wire to the ATV's frame.

    • 4

      Unscrew a bolt that connects directly to the ATV's frame to serve as the kill switch's grounding point, using your socket wrench. Slip the shorter wire's ring terminal over the bolt, then screw the bolt into place.

    • 5

      Place an inline wire splicing connector over the stator wiring's white wire. Place the tethered kill switch's longer wire into the other half of the wire splicing connector. Press the connector's splicing wedge into the connector's body with pliers, then fold the flap of the connector.

    • 6

      Place the tether into the kill switch, then start the ATV's motor. Pull the tether out of the switch to stop the ATV's motor. If the motor continues to run, move the switch's ground wire to another location and test the switch again.

    • 7

      Reinstall the front fender, using a 10-mm socket and a socket wrench. Reinstall the ATV's seat.