Here’s How Kawasaki Transmissions Are Different From Almost Every Other Motorcycle

Here’s How Kawasaki Transmissions Are Different From Almost Every Other Motorcycle
When you’re driving around on a motorcycle and either come to a stop light or need to park, you’re supposed to shift the engine to neutral. The annoying thing about this is that, unlike with driving a car, you don’t have a simple visual selector to use for this. While the precise means of shifting depends on the kind of transmission you’re using, on a manual transmission bike, the gears are shifted using a foot-based lever, the operation of which is not always an exact science. On many motorcycles, you need to “fish” for neutral, shifting a few times between first and second gear until you find the sweet spot. While it’s not a horrible burden, it’s not much fun either.
However, if you usually drive a Kawasaki-branded motorcycle, this irritating little pursuit may not sound familiar to you. That’s not unusual, as thanks to a particular piece of technology present in their transmissions, Kawasaki bikes don’t need to fish for neutral. What kind of hardware could allow for this, and how exactly does it work?