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:

Brake Fluid Change
NOTE The procedure to change the front brake fluid is as follows. Changing the rear brake fluid is the same as for the front brake. Level the brake fluid reservoir. Remove: Screw [A] Stopper [B] Front Brake Reservoir Cap [C] Diaphragm Plate Diaphragm Remove the rubb ...

Self-Diagnosis Procedures
NOTE Use a fully charged battery when conducting self-diagnosis. Otherwise, the light (LED) and symbol do not light or blink. Turn the ignition switch to ON. When a problem occurs with DFI system and ignition system, the warning indicator light (LED) [A] goes on and FI warning symbol ...

Brake Disc Warp Inspection
Raise the wheel off the ground with the jack. Special Tools - Jack: 57001-1238 Jack Attachment: 57001-1608 For front disc inspection, turn the handlebar fully to one side. Set up a dial gauge against the disc [A] as shown in the figure and measure disc runout, while turning [B] the ...