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:

Front and Rear Brakes
Disc and disc pad wear is automatically compensated for and has no effect on the brake lever or pedal action. So there are no parts that require adjustment on the front and rear brakes. WARNINGAir in the brake lines diminish braking performance and can cause an accident resulting ...

Crankshaft Sensor Peak Voltage Inspection
NOTE Be sure the battery is fully charged. Using the peak voltage adapter [A] is more reliable way to determine the condition of the crankshaft sensor than crankshaft sensor internal resistance measurements. Disconnect the crankshaft sensor lead connector (see Crankshaft Sensor ...

Water Pump Inspection
Remove the left lower fairing (see Lower Fairing Removal in the Frame chapter). Check the drainage outlet passage [A] at the bottom of the water pump body for coolant leaks. If the mechanical seal is damaged, the coolant leaks through the seal and drains through the passage. Replace th ...