hi all just bought 454 ltd

1st kawasaki ive owned great little bike
bit confused with it tho as on side casing says
it has 6 gears but can only go upto 5th doesnt
go to 6th is there something wrong with it or does
it only have 5 gears

 

Welcome to KF!

I hate to ask the newbie question but are you counting the first gear? If you click it up 5 times then your in 6th gear

I've never ridden the 454 so I cant confirm the count but if your manual says its got 6 I would beleive it. What year is your ride?

 

lol no it only clicks up 4 times

the bike is an 1985 454ltd i dont have a manual
was looking round the bike yesterday and noticed
near the gear shift that the markings on the case
showed the gears as 1 down 2,3,4,5,6,up

 

hmmmm, how are the RPMs in 5th? the transmission could have been changed over the last 25 years, or it could be damaged, or the case could have been changed, check with the manual to find the actual gearing, you might have to tear into the tranny to check for damage.

 

@ 60mph the rpm is just over 6000

 

Welcome to the forums, sorry I missed you, I was at the drag races all day yesterday. My arms and face got burnt pretty bad. It looks like I'm still wearing sunglasses...LOL

 

yeah 6k might be a little high, could be looking for another gear, but again, I've never rode one.

 

Google is your friend

TRANSMISSION
Transmission Type 6-speed, constant mesh, return shift
Clutch Type Wet, multi disc
Driving System Belt Drive
Primary Reduction Ratio 2.952 (62/21)
Final Reduction Ratio 2.720 (68/25)
Overall Drive Ratio 6.840 (Top gear)
Gear Ratio:
1st 2.571 (36/14)
2nd 1.777 (32/18)
3rd 1.380 (29/21)
4th 1.125 (27/24)
5th 0.961 (25/26)
6th 0.851 (23/27)

http://www.454rider.com/specifications.php

 

Welcome to KF

I have not played with the ltd. Good luck

 

thanks mav

i'll nip garagre with it at weekend