Kawasaki Ninja Owners Manual: Shifting Gears

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

Close the throttle while pulling in the clutch lever.
Shift into the next higher or lower gear.
Open the throttle part way, while releasing the clutch lever.
For smooth riding, each gear position should cover the proper rate of speed shown in the table.

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:

Torque Limiter Removal
Remove: Starter Motor (see Starter Motor Removal in the Electrical System chapter) Throttle Body Assy Holder [A] Breather Hose [B] Roll up the heat insulation rubber plate [C]. Remove: Torque Limiter Cover Bolts [A] Torque Limiter Cover [B] Remove: Torque Limit ...

Turn Signal Relay Inspection
Remove the battery (see Battery Removal). Take the turn signal relay [A] off the rear fender. Disconnect the connector [B]. Connect one 12 V battery and turn signal lights as indicated in the figure, and count how many times the lights blink for one minute. Turn Signal Relay ...

Rebound Damping Force Adjustment
To adjust the rebound damping force, turn the rebound damping adjuster [A]. The standard adjuster setting is the 3 3/4 turns out from the fully clockwise position. WARNINGIf both adjusters are not adjusted equally, handling may be impaired and a hazardous condition may res ...