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:

Gear Position Switch Installation
Securely place the springs [A] and pins [B] into the holes [C] of the shift drum. Apply grease to the new O-ring [D]. Install the gear position switch [E]. Apply a non-permanent locking agent to the threads of the gear position switch screws [F]. Tighten: Torque - Gear Position Swit ...

Stick Coil Primary Peak Voltage Inspection
NOTE Be sure the battery is fully charged. Remove the stick coils (see Stick Coil Removal). Do not remove the spark plugs. Connect the ECU to the harness. Measure the primary peak voltage as follows. Install the new spark plug [A] into each stick coil [B], and ground them onto ...

Chain Slack Inspection
Set the motorcycle up on its side stand. Rotate the rear wheel to find the position where the chain is tightest, and measure the maximum chain slack by pulling up and pushing down the chain midway between the engine sprocket and rear wheel sprocket. A. Chain Slack If the ...