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:

Caliper Rubber Parts Replacement
Front Caliper Disassembly Remove: Front Caliper (see Front Caliper Removal in the Brakes chapter) Brake Pads (see Front Brake Pad Removal in the Brakes chapter) Remove: Front Caliper Assembly Bolts [A] Split the front caliper. Remove: Pad Spring O-ring [A] U ...

Throttle Control System
Check the throttle grip play each day before riding the motorcycle, and carry out maintenance and adjustments in accordance with the Periodic Maintenance Chart. Adjust it if necessary. Throttle Grip The throttle grip controls the butterfly valves in the throttle body. If the throttle grip ha ...

Cylinder Head Cover Installation
Replace the cylinder head cover gasket [A] with a new one Using a high flash-point solvent, clean off any oil or dirt that may be on the silicone sealant coating area. Dry them with a clean cloth. Apply silicone sealant [B] to the cylinder head as shown in the figure. Sealant - Li ...