Kawasaki Ninja Owners Manual: Shifting Gears

Kawasaki Ninja Owners Manual / How to ride the motorcycle / Shifting Gears

WARNING

Downshifting to a lower gear at high speed causes engine rpm to increase excessively, potentially damaging the engine and it may also cause the rear wheel to skid and cause an accident.

Vehicle speed when shifting


NOTE

The transmission is equipped with a positive neutral finder. When the motorcycle is standing still, the transmission cannot be shifted past neutral from 1st gear. To use the positive neutral finder, shift down to 1st gear, then lift up on the shift pedal while standing still. The transmission will shift only into neutral.

Moving Off
Check that the side stand is up. Pull in the clutch lever. Shift into 1st gear. Open the throttle a little, and start to let out the clutch lever very slowly. As the clutch starts to enga ...

Braking
Close the throttle completely, leaving the clutch engaged (except when shifting gears) so that the engine will help slow down the motorcycle. Shift down one gear at a time so that you are ...

Other materials:

Additional Considerations for High Speed Operation
Brakes: The importance of the brakes, especially during high speed operation, cannot be overemphasized. Check to see that they are correctly adjusted and functioning properly. Steering: Looseness in the steering can cause loss of control. Check to see that the handlebar turns freely but ha ...

Hub Bearing Installation
Before installing the hub bearings, blow any dirt or foreign particles out of the hub with compressed air to prevent contamination of the bearings. Replace the bearings with new ones. Install the bearings by using the bearing driver set which does not contact the bearing inner race. ...

Lubrication
Lubrication is necessary after riding through rain or on wet roads, or any time that the chain appears dry. Use a lubricant for sealed chains to prevent deterioration of chain seals. If the chain is especially dirty, clean it using a cleaner for sealed chains following the instructions suppli ...