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:

Exploded View
HG: Apply high-temperature grease. HO: Apply heavy oil. L: Apply a non-permanent locking agent. MO: Apply molybdenum disulfide oil solution. (mixture of the engine oil and molybdenum disulfide grease in a weight ratio 10:1) R: Replacement Parts Specifications Special Too ...

Coupling Bearing Inspection
Since the coupling bearing is made to extremely close tolerances, the clearance can not normally be measured. NOTE It is not necessary to remove the coupling bearing for inspection. If the bearing is removed, it will need to be replaced with a new one. Turn the bearing in the coupling b ...

Wheel Alignment Inspection
Check that the notch [A] on the alignment indicator [B] aligns with the same swingarm mark or position [C] that the other side alignment indicator notch aligns with. If they do not, adjust the chain slack and align the wheel alignment (see Drive Chain Slack Adjustment). NOTE Wheel align ...