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:

Lights and Switches Operation Inspection
First Step Set the gear position in the neutral position. Turn the ignition switch to ON. The following lights should go on according to below table. If the following light does not go on, inspect the meter unit (see Meter Unit Inspection in the Electrical System chapter). ...

Clutch
Due to friction plate wear and clutch cable stretch over a long period of use, the clutch operation should be checked each day before riding the motorcycle, and must be adjusted in accordance with the Periodic Maintenance Chart. Inspection Check that the clutch lever operates properly an ...

Electronic Steering Damper Warning Indicator Light
The yellow light functions as the electronic steering damper warning indicator. The light and warning symbol "ESD" go on if there is a malfunction in the electronic steering damper system. However, this could also be caused by trouble with the charging system (e.g. battery). I ...