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:

Operating Procedures
Clean the seat area carefully. Coat the seat with machinist’s dye. Fit a 45° cutter into the holder and slide it into the valve guide. Press down lightly on the handle and turn it right or left. Grind the seating surface only until it is smooth. NOTICE Do not grind the seat too ...

Steering Damper Oil Leak Inspection
Visually inspect the steering damper [A] for oil leakage. If the oil leakage is found on it, replace the steering damper with a new one (see Steering Damper Removal/ Installation in the Steering chapter). ZX1000JD/KD [B] ...

Cable, Wire, and Hose Routing
1. Clamp (Hold the regulator/rectifier lead. Run the lead inside of the installation hole.) 2. Clamp (Bend down the clamp, and hold the main harness and the vacuum hose (equipped models).) 3. Clamp (Hold the air intake solenoid valve lead (equipped models).) 4. Run the vacuum hose under ...