Kawasaki Ninja Owners Manual: Shifting Gears

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:

Rocker Arm Removal
Squeeze the brake lever slowly and hold it with a band. Remove the front footpeg bracket bolts. Raise the rear wheel off the ground with the jack (see Rear Shock Absorber Removal). Special Tools - Jack: 57001-1238 Jack Attachment: 57001-1608 Remove: Lower Rear Shock Absorber B ...

Master Cylinder Inspection (Visual Inspection)
Remove the master cylinders (see Front/Rear Master Cylinder Removal). Disassemble the front and rear master cylinders (see Master Cylinder Rubber Parts Replacement in the Periodic Maintenance chapter). Check that there are no scratches, rust or pitting on the inner wall [A] of each ma ...

Tire Tread Wear Inspection
As the tire tread wears down, the tire becomes more susceptible to puncture and failure. An accepted estimate is that 90% of all tire failures occur during the last 10% of tread life (90% worn). So it is false economy and unsafe to use the tires until they are bald. Measure the tread depth a ...