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:

Rear Master Cylinder Installation
Replace the washers that are on each side of hose fitting with new ones. Install the brake hose [A]. Touch the brake hose to the stopper [B] of the rear master cylinder. Tighten: Torque - Brake Hose Banjo Bolt: 25 N·m (2.5 kgf·m, 18 ft·lb) Install the master cylinder, the brack ...

Rear Frame Front Removal
Remove: Rear Frame Rear (see Rear Frame Rear Removal) Rear Fender Front (see Rear Fender Front Removal) Rear Footpeg Bracket Bolts [A] Rear Footpeg Bracket [B] Rear Frame Front Bolts [C] Left Rear Frame Front [D] Remove: Rear Footpeg Bracket Bolts [A] Rear Footpeg Bracke ...

Radiator Inspection
Remove the radiator (see Radiator and Radiator Fan Removal). Check the radiator core. If there are obstructions to air flow, remove them. If the corrugated fins [A] are deformed, carefully straighten them. If the air passages of the radiator core are blocked more than 20% by unremovable ...