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:

Dimmer Switch
High or low beam can be selected with the dimmer switch. When the headlight is on high beam ( ), the high beam indicator light goes on. High beam.......( ) Low beam.......( ) NOTE When the headlight is on high beam, both headlights go on. When the headlight is on low beam, only one headl ...

Air Cleaner Housing Assembly
Install the ducts to the air cleaner housing. Fit the projections [A] of the duct into the slits [B] on the air cleaner housing. Tighten the screws [A]. Torque - Air Cleaner Housing Duct Screws: 1.1 N·m (0.11 kgf·m, 10 in·lb) Install: Air Cleaner Gasket [A] Duct [B] ...

Balance Inspection
Remove the front and rear wheels (see Front/Rear Wheel Removal). Support the wheel so that it can be spun freely. Spin the wheel lightly, and mark [A] the wheel at the top when the wheel stops. Repeat this procedure several times. If the wheel stops of its own accord in various positi ...