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:

Brake Pad Wear Inspection
Remove the brake pads (see Front/Rear Brake Pad Removal in the Brakes chapter). Check the lining thickness [A] of the pads in each caliper. If the lining thickness of either pad is less than the service limit [B], replace both pads in the caliper as a set. Front Brake Pad [C] Rea ...

ABS Indicator Light (For models equipped with KIBS)
: Normally the ABS indicator light goes on when the ignition switch is turned “ON” and goes off shortly after the motorcycle starts moving. If the ABS is normal, it stays off. If the ABS indicator light shows any of the following, a fault or faults may have taken place in the ABS. You ...

Torque Limiter Installation
Apply molybdenum disulfide grease to the torque limiter shaft [A]. Install the torque limiter [B], the collar [C] and the shaft. Turn the large-hole end of the shaft to inside as shown in the figure. Replace the washer [D] with a new one. Apply a non-permanent locking agent to the t ...