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:

Tie-Rod and Rocker Arm Bearing Installation
Replace the needle bearings [A] and oil seals with new ones. Apply plenty of grease to the lips of the oil seals. Install the needle bearings and oil seals position as shown in the figure. Screw the needle bearing driver into the driver holder. Insert the needle bearing driver into th ...

Sprocket Wear Inspection
Visually inspect the engine and rear sprocket teeth for wear and damage. If the teeth are worn as illustrated, replace the sprocket, and inspect the drive chain wear (see Drive Chain Wear Inspection in the Periodic Maintenance chapter). Worn Tooth (Engine Sprocket) [A] Worn Tooth (Rear ...

Valve Seat Inspection
Remove the valve (see Valve Removal). Check the valve seating surface [A] between the valve [B] and valve seat [C]. Measure the outside diameter [D] of the seating pattern on the valve seat. If the outside diameter is too large or too small, repair the seat (see Valve Seat Repair). Val ...