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:

Oil Filter Replacement
Drain the engine oil (see Engine Oil Change). Remove the left lower fairing (see Lower Fairing Removal in the Frame chapter). Remove the oil filter [A] with the oil filter wrench [B]. Special Tool - Oil Filter Wrench: 57001-1249 Replace the filter with a new one. Apply grease t ...

Engine Sprocket Removal
Remove: Engine Sprocket Cover Bolts [A] Engine Sprocket Cover [B] Flatten out the bended washer [A]. Remove the engine sprocket nut [B] and washer. NOTE When loosening the engine sprocket nut, hold the rear brake on. Raise the rear wheel off the ground with the stand. ...

Break-in
The first 1 600 km (1 000 mi) that the motorcycle is ridden is designated as the break-in period. If the motorcycle is not used carefully during this period, you may very well end up with a “broken down” instead of a “broken in” motorcycle after a few thousand kilometers. The fol ...