Kawasaki Ninja Owners Manual: Drive Chain

Kawasaki Ninja Owners Manual / Maintenance and adjustment / Drive Chain

The drive chain slack and lubrication must be checked each day before riding the motorcycle and must be maintained in accordance with the Periodic Maintenance Chart for safety and to prevent excessive wear. If the chain becomes badly worn or maladjusted - either too loose or too tight - the chain could jump off the sprockets or break.

WARNING

A chain that breaks or jumps off the sprockets could snag on the engine sprocket or lock the rear wheel, severely damaging the motorcycle and causing it to go out of control. Inspect the chain for damage and proper adjustment before each ride.

Clutch
Due to friction plate wear and clutch cable stretch over a long period of use, the clutch operation should be checked each day before riding the motorcycle, and must be adjusted in accordance wit ...

Chain Slack Inspection
Set the motorcycle up on its side stand. Rotate the rear wheel to find the position where the chain is tightest, and measure the maximum chain slack by pulling up and pushing down the c ...

Other materials:

Leather, Vinyl, and Rubber
If your motorcycle has leather accessories, special care must be taken. Use a leather cleaner/treatment to clean and care for leather accessories. Washing leather parts with detergent and water will damage them, shortening their life. Vinyl parts should be washed with the rest of themo ...

Thermostat Inspection
Remove the thermostat (see Thermostat Removal). Inspect the thermostat valve [A] at room temperature. If the valve is open, replace the thermostat with a new one. To check valve opening temperature, suspend the thermostat [A] in a container of water and raise the temperature of ...

Chain Slack Adjustment
Remove the cotter pin, and loosen the axle nut. Loosen the left and right chain adjuster locknuts. A. Axle Nut B. Cotter Pin C. Adjuster D. Locknut If the chain is too loose, turn out the left and right chain adjusters evenly. If the chain is too tight, turn in the left ...