Kawasaki Ninja Service Manual: Tire Installation

• Inspect the rim and tire, and replace them if necessary.
• Clean the sealing surfaces of the rim and tire, and smooth the sealing surfaces of the rim with a fine emery cloth if necessary.
• Remove the air valve and discard it.

NOTICE

Replace the air valve whenever the tire is replaced.

Do not reuse the air valve.

• Install a new valve in the rim.

Remove the valve cap, lubricate the stem seal [A] with a soap and water solution or rubber lubricant, and pull [B] the valve stem through the rim from the inside out until it snaps into place.

NOTICE

Do not use engine oil or petroleum distillates to lubricate the stem because they will deteriorate the rubber.

• The air valve is shown in the figure.

  Valve Cap [A] Valve Core [B] Stem Seal [C] Valve Stem [D] Valve Seat [E] Valve Opened [F]

• Check the tire rotation mark on the front and rear tires and install them on the rim accordingly.

  Tire Rotation Mark [A] Rotating Direction [B]

• Position the tire on the rim so that the valve [A] align with the tire balance mark [B] (the chalk mark made during removal, or the yellow paint mark on a new tire).
• Install the tire bead over the rim flange using a suitable commercially available tire changer.
• Lubricate the tire beads and rim flanges with a soap and water solution or rubber lubricant to help seat the tire beads in the sealing surfaces of the rim while inflating the tire.
• Center the rim in the tire beads, and inflate the tire with compressed air until the tire beads seat in the sealing surfaces.

• Check to see that the rim lines [A] on both sides of the tire sidewalls are parallel with the rim flanges.

If the rim flanges and tire sidewall rim lines are not parallel, remove the valve core.

• Lubricate the rim flanges and tire beads.
• Install the valve core and inflate the tire again.
• After the tire beads seat in the rim flanges, check for air leakage.

Inflate the tire slightly above standard inflation.

Use a soap and water solution or submerge the tire, and check for bubbles that would indicate leakage.

• Adjust the air pressure to the specified pressure (see Air Pressure Inspection in the Periodic Maintenance chapter).
• Install the air valve cap.
• Adjust the wheel balance (see Balance Adjustment).