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:

Coolant Reserve Tank Installation
Install the following to the coolant reserve tank [A]. Pad [B] Gasket [C] Cap [D] Collar [E] Install the coolant reserve tank and tighten the bolt [F]. Run the hoses correctly (see Cable,Wire, and Hose Routing section in the Appendix chapter). Fill the coolant reserve tank with ...

Valve-to-Guide Clearance Measurement (Wobble Method)
If a small bore gauge is not available, inspect the valve guide wear by measuring the valve to valve guide clearance with the wobble method as indicated below. Insert a new valve [A] into the guide [B] and set a dial gauge against the stem perpendicular to it as close as possible to the cy ...

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 ...