[emudshit]

Okay so I know most on here take there's to the dealership to service which is not needed at all as its very simple to do yourself and you can even make sure to do a better job so I made a video doing my first 1000km/1k mile oil change "I was very tired during recording this so bare with me"

Please do not re-upload this video as I have made it only visible to people who have a link aka people on this forum

 

[NinjaRyder]

Great video, this will help a lot of people because often communities like this attract a lot of first time riders and with that often come those who have little mechanical knowledge if any.

 

[emudshit]

Great video, this will help a lot of people because often communities like this attract a lot of first time riders and with that often come those who have little mechanical knowledge if any.

yes but its not a public video meaning u can search for it on youtube only way to watch it is through a link

 

[xorbe]

Why would you want to limit N400 exposure though, it's not like an oil change is NDA material

 

[emudshit]

Why would you want to limit N400 exposure though, it's not like an oil change is NDA material

Dont want people I know watching the video is all

 

[Kiwi Rider]

Hey nice job mate, will be real handy for the first timers and I was pleased to see as a Ninja virgin how easy the access is. The CBR was an arse as it has an internal oil filter and they didnt cut the fairing away enough to allow easy access to the filter housing cover so you had to remove half the belly pan which is not as easy job as on the Ninja.

Couple of things I do different to you: Not necessarily better or worse
I do it straight after a long ride so the oil is fully hot and drains real quick and fully.
I stand the bike upright once Ive cracked the oil drain nut, holding the bike with my left hand on the bar and then undo the drain nut with an extension bar attached to the socket so you dont get hot oil anywhere near your hand. The reason I hold the bike up is to get the oil in the pan as the kick stand stops you getting the pan in just the right place when you have the bike leaned over.

Minor stuff but may be of use.

Cheers for taking the time to do that.

 

[rde09]

Emud, Thanks for taking the time to video and upload it. Great work and I like the sound of the slip-on in the back round.

K&N does have some very good products, I like the nut manufactured into the filter for wrenching it off.

Pardon the thumbnail, the "official Ninja 400 grease monkey".

 

[emudshit]

Hey nice job mate, will be real handy for the first timers and I was pleased to see as a Ninja virgin how easy the access is. The CBR was an arse as it has an internal oil filter and they didnt cut the fairing away enough to allow easy access to the filter housing cover so you had to remove half the belly pan which is not as easy job as on the Ninja.

Couple of things I do different to you: Not necessarily better or worse
I do it straight after a long ride so the oil is fully hot and drains real quick and fully.
I stand the bike upright once Ive cracked the oil drain nut, holding the bike with my left hand on the bar and then undo the drain nut with an extension bar attached to the socket so you dont get hot oil anywhere near your hand. The reason I hold the bike up is to get the oil in the pan as the kick stand stops you getting the pan in just the right place when you have the bike leaned over.

Minor stuff but may be of use.

Cheers for taking the time to do that.

Bike was on level 3 on temp gauge man which is hot, left it to idle for a good 10 minutes, also abit hard to do all you said with 1 hand while recording haha oh and im not worried about the hot oil on my hand as those gloves are my machining gloves they are made for very hot steel so I cant feel a thing

 

[emudshit]

Emud, Thanks for taking the time to video and upload it. Great work and I like the sound of the slip-on in the back round.

K&N does have some very good products, I like the nut manufactured into the filter for wrenching it off.

Pardon the thumbnail, the "official Ninja 400 grease monkey".

haha love that little attachment mate

 

[Goldsmith]

Much appreciated ?

 

[rde09]

Valve adjustments?

haha love that little attachment mate

So to further our education at Emud University, when are you planning the valve adjustments video? hint hint :grin:

 

[Kiwi Rider]

So to further our education at Emud University, when are you planning the valve adjustments video? hint hint :grin:

Whens the first inspection and what's the intervals after that? They seem to be getting further apart these days as engine technology improves. Great for the owner.

 

[emudshit]

Whens the first inspection and what's the intervals after that? They seem to be getting further apart these days as engine technology improves. Great for the owner.

The ninja 300 had it at i think 13000k was a pain the the ass to do and thats something ill never be doing myself again lol

 

[Kiwi Rider]

The ninja 300 had it at i think 13000k was a pain the the ass to do and thats something ill never be doing myself again lol

Yeah I never bothered schooling myself up on how to do the CBR as it only needed them done once in 30,000kms I had it and they did them as part of the crank recall at 20,000k's. Bonus!

 

[rde09]

Valve adjustments schedule?

Whens the first inspection and what's the intervals after that? They seem to be getting further apart these days as engine technology improves. Great for the owner.

It would be nice to have the service manual available for the 400, but until it is downloadable it is a guess comparing the maintenance schedule of the 300. I haven't seen confirmation the adjustment is with shim and bucket, but taking in consideration the 300 was, I would imagine it is.
From looking at the 300 ninja's schedule for maintenance in the service manual (if the 400 is comparably recommended):
looks like valves are to be adjusted at 12,000 km or 7,600 miles and 24,000 km or 15,200 miles

Glad to see the 500 mile initial valve adjustment is a thing of the past.:smile:

For those who want to compare any service of the 300 service manual (since the 400's is not released at this time) Link:
https://www.manualslib.com/download/804530/Kawasaki-Ninja-300.html

 

[emudshit]

It would be nice to have the service manual available for the 400, but until it is downloadable it is a guess comparing the maintenance schedule of the 300. I haven't seen confirmation the adjustment is with shim and bucket, but taking in consideration the 300 was, I would imagine it is.
From looking at the 300 ninja's schedule for maintenance in the service manual (if the 400 is comparably recommended):
looks like valves are to be adjusted at 12,000 km or 7,600 miles and 24,000 km or 15,200 miles

Glad to see the 500 mile initial valve adjustment is a thing of the past.:smile:

For those who want to compare any service of the 300 service manual (since the 400's is not released at this time) Link:
https://www.manualslib.com/download/804530/Kawasaki-Ninja-300.html

ill upload the 400 page from my manual if you would like just remind me lol

 

[Kiwi Rider]

ill upload the 400 page from my manual if you would like just remind me lol

Yeah I was gonna say that you don't generally need a full service manual to getb that info, that stuff is usually in the maintenance schedule in the little owners manual that comes with the bike.

 

[rde09]

valve adjustment schedule for the Ninja 400

Yeah I was gonna say that you don't generally need a full service manual to getb that info, that stuff is usually in the maintenance schedule in the little owners manual that comes with the bike.

According to the ex400 owners manual it recommends the valve clearance check at 24,000 Km or 15,200 miles.
That is quite a few miles to put on a new bike before it is required.
:clap:

 

[Kiwi Rider]

According to the ex400 owners manual it recommends the valve clearance check at 24,000 Km or 15,200 miles.
That is quite a few miles to put on a new bike before it is required.

That's pretty much standard now. My CBR250 & 300 were same interval. But yes, as an owner it helps keep servicing costs down. I'd imagine quite a few owners would have sold the bike well before that mileage.

 

[RedRider2k2]

I do all my own repairs and maintenance, up to and including complete engine tear down and rebuilds. After doing valve adjustments on a ZX12 or ZX14 ("Hybrid" Frames), you'll really appreciate doing them on the little Ninjas. I've done a couple on my wife's 250 and, when the time comes, I'm sure I'll be doing it on her 400. If there are no detailed videos available by then, I'll probably throw something together.

NOW, for the point of this post...It's great to learn to do your own regular maintenance. No arguing with that. BUT, you should check the fine print on Kawasaki's Warranty write up.

10. OWNER’S OBLIGATIONS
There are certain Owner’s obligations that must be fulfilled to maintain the validity of the Kawasaki warranty. Fulfilling
these obligations will increase product life and decrease overall maintenance costs.
1. The owner must deliver, at his expense, the complete product to an authorized Kawasaki dealer (for the
product line involved) for all periodic maintenance services (as recommended in the Owner’s Manual for that
model) during the warranty period applicable to that model. These maintenance services are to be recorded on
the Warranty Guide and the Owner’s Manual.

Now, what does that mean? I'm no lawyer but I would say they require that all periodic maintenance listed in the owners manual that falls within the warranty period would need to be done/recorded by the dealer. Now, for most people, that's pretty much going to be just the first service (Usually 1000KMs) since most people are only going to have a 12 month warranty. Now, if your engine goes POP at 1500KMs (Through no fault of your own) even after you serviced it yourself at 1000KMs 100% by the book...It sounds like you may still have a fight on your hands because Kawasaki has written themselves an "out" in the fine print.

I've owned many bikes but this is the first that I've bought brand new. The dealer I bought it from is a friend of mine and he knows I do my own work. I may ask him if simply buying oil and a filter from him will be enough of a paper trail for him to "Sign off" on the first service but if there's even a chance it could cause problems, I'm just going to pony up the $100 and let his technician do it.