Kawasaki Ninja Owners Manual: Leather, Vinyl, and Rubber

Kawasaki Ninja Owners Manual / Maintenance and adjustment / Cleaning Your Motorcycle / Leather, Vinyl, and Rubber

If your motorcycle has leather accessories, special care must be taken.

Use a leather cleaner/treatment to clean and care for leather accessories.

Washing leather parts with detergent and water will damage them, shortening their life.

Vinyl parts should be washed with the rest of themotorcycle, then treated with a vinyl treatment.

The sidewalls of tires and other rubber components should be treated with a rubber protectant to help prolong their useful life.

WARNING

Rubber protectants can be slippery and, if used on the tread area, cause loss of traction resulting in accident causing injury or death. Do not apply rubber protectant to any tread area.

Chrome and Aluminum

Chrome and uncoated aluminum parts can be treated with a chrome/aluminum polish. Coated aluminum should be washed with a mild neutral detergent and finished with a spray polish. Aluminum wheels, ...

Bolt and Nut Tightening

In accordance with the Periodic Maintenance Chart, it is very important to check the tightness of the bolts and nuts listed here. Also, check to see that each cotter pin is in place and in good ...

Other materials:

Steering Stem Warp Inspection
Whenever the steering stem is removed, or if the steering can not be adjusted for smooth action, check the steering stem for straightness. If the steering stem [A] is bent, replace the steering stem. Stem Cap Deterioration, Damage Inspection Replace the stem cap if its oil seal [A] s ...

Valve Clearance
Valve and valve seat wear decreases valve clearance, upsetting valve timing. NOTICE If valve clearance is left unadjusted, wear will eventually cause the valves to remain partly open; which lowers performance, burns the valves and valve seats, and may cause serious engine damage. Valve cle ...

Crankcase Splitting
Remove the engine (see Engine Removal in the Engine Removal/Installation chapter). Set the engine on a clean surface and hold the engine steady while parts are being removed. Remove: Cylinder Head (see Cylinder Head Removal in the Engine Top End chapter) Starter Motor (see Starter M ...