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:

Battery
The battery installed in this motorcycle is a sealed type, so it is not necessary to check the battery electrolyte level or add distilled water. The sealing strip should not be pulled off once the specified electrolyte has been installed in the battery for initial service. However, in or ...

Brake Pedal Position Adjustment
NOTE Usually it is not necessary to adjust the pedal position, but always adjust it when push rod locknut has been loosened. Loosen the locknut [A] and turn the push rod with the hex head [B] to achieve the correct pedal position. If the length [C] shown is 69 ±1 mm (2.7 ±0.04 in.), th ...

Handlebar Installation
Apply a non-permanent locking agent to the threads of the handlebar positioning bolts and tighten them. Torque - Handlebar Positioning Bolts: 9.8 N·m (1.0 kgf·m, 87 in·lb) Install the steering stem head with handlebars. Install the washer [A] and steering stem head nut [B]. Tighten: ...