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:

Rear Wheel Rotation Sensor Removal
NOTICE The wheel rotation sensor should be handled carefully, never struck sharply, as with a hammer, or allowed to fall on a hard surface since the wheel rotation sensor is precision made. Be careful not to get water or mud on the wheel rotation sensor. Do not try to disassemble or repair t ...

Idle Speed Inspection
Start the engine and warm it up thoroughly. With the engine idling, turn the handlebar to both sides [A]. If handlebar movement changes the idle speed, the throttle cables may be improperly adjusted or incorrectly routed, or damaged. Be sure to correct any of these conditions before rid ...

Stopping the engine
Close the throttle completely. Shift the transmission into neutral Turn the ignition key to “OFF”. Support the motorcycle on a firm, level surface with the side stand. Lock the steering. NOTE The motorcycle is equipped with a vehicle-down sensor, which causes the engine to sto ...