Kawasaki Ninja Owners Manual: Jump starting

Kawasaki Ninja Owners Manual / How to ride the motorcycle / Jump starting

If your motorcycle battery is “run down”, it should be removed and charged. If this is not practical, a 12 volt booster battery and jumper cables may be used to start the engine.

DANGER

Battery acid generates hydrogen gas which is flammable and explosive under certain conditions.

It is present within a battery at all times, even in a discharged condition. Keep all flames and sparks (cigarettes) away from the battery. Wear eye protection when working with a battery. In the event of battery acid contact with skin, eyes, or clothing, wash the affected areas immediately with water for at least 5 minutes. Seek medical attention.

Connecting Jumper Cables

Remove the rider’s seat (see Seats section in the GENERAL INFORMATION chapter).
Make sure the ignition switch is turned to “OFF”.
Connect a jumper cable from the positive (+) terminal of the booster battery to the positive (+) terminal of the motorcycle battery. Refer to the “Battery Removal” section of the Maintenance and Adjustment chapter for the battery terminals.

A. From Booster Battery Positive (+) Terminal

B. Swingarm Pivot

C. From Booster Battery Negative (–) Terminal

Connect another jumper cable from the negative (–) terminal of the booster battery to your motorcycle swingarm pivot or other unpainted metal surface. Do not use the negative (–) terminal of the battery

DANGER

Batteries contain sulfuric acid that can cause burns and produce hydrogen gas which is highly explosive. Do not make this last connection at the fuel system or battery. Take care not to touch the positive and negative cables together, and do not lean over the battery when making this last connection. Do not connect to a frozen battery. It could explode. Do not reverse polarity by connecting positive (+) to negative (–), or a battery explosion and serious damage to the electrical system may occur.

Follow the standard engine starting procedure.

NOTICE

Do not operate the starter continuously for more than 5 seconds or the starter will overheat and the battery power will drop temporarily. Wait 15 seconds between each operation of the starter to let it cool and the battery power recover.

After the engine has started, disconnect the jumper cables. Disconnect the negative (–) cable from the motorcycle first.
Reinstall the removed parts.

Starting the Engine

Check that the engine stop switch is in the position. A. Engine Stop Switch B. Starter Button Turn the ignition key to “ON”. Make sure the transmission is in neutral. A. Neut ...

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 ...

Other materials:

Switch Inspection
Using a hand tester, check to see that only the connections shown in the table have continuity. Special Tool - Hand Tester: 57001-1394 For the switch housings and the ignition switch, refer to the tables in the Wiring Diagram. If the switch has an open or short, repair it or replace it w ...

Lap Counter/Coolant/Intake Air Temperature Meter
This meter shows the coolant temperature, the intake air temperature or the lap number. The lap number is displayed in the stop watch mode, refer to the “Stop Watch” item in this section. A. Lap Counter/Coolant / Intake Air Temperature Meter The coolant temperature meter and inta ...

Drive Chain
The drive chain slack and lubrication must be checked each day before riding the motorcycle and must be maintained in accordance with the Periodic Maintenance Chart for safety and to prevent excessive wear. If the chain becomes badly worn or maladjusted - either too loose or too tight - the c ...