Kawasaki Ninja

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:

Shift Fork Guide Pin/Drum Groove Wear Inspection
Measure the diameter of each shift fork guide pin [A], and measure the width [B] of each shift drum groove. If the guide pin on any shift fork is less than the service limit, the fork must be replaced. Shift Fork Guide Pin Diameter Standard: 6.9 7.0 mm (0.272 0.276 in.) Service Limit: ...

Connecting Rod Big End Side Clearance Inspection
Measure connecting rod big end side clearance. Insert a thickness gauge [A] between the big end and either crank web to determine clearance. Connecting Rod Big End Side Clearance Standard: 0.13 0.38 mm (0.0051 0.0150 in.) Service Limit: 0.58 mm (0.023 in.) If the clearance exceeds ...

Compression Damping Force Adjustment
To adjust the compression damping force, turn the compression damping adjuster [A]. The standard adjuster setting is the 4 1/2 turns out from the fully clockwise position. WARNINGIf both adjusters are not adjusted equally, handling may be impaired and a hazardous condition ma ...