Kawasaki Ninja

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:

Gear Position Switch Inspection
NOTE Be sure the transmission and external shift mechanism are good condition. Remove the fuel tank (see Fuel Tank Removal in the Fuel System (DFI) chapter). Disconnect the connector [A]. Set the hand tester [A] to the × 1 kΩ or × 100 Ω range and connect i ...

Reporting safety defects
(For Products Sold in the United States of America, District of Columbia, and U.S. Territories Only) If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which could cause a crash or could cause injury or death, you should immediately inform the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHT ...

Technical Information - Electronic Steering Damper (ESD/ZX1000JD/KD models)
1) Overview This model has an Electronic Steering Damper (ESD) [A]. Unlike conventional manual adjustment method of Kawasaki, damping characteristics are adjusted by the electronic control unit. 2) Purpose Designed to offer increased stability at high speed without interfering with light ...