A step-by-step install for a Kawasaki Ninja 300 gear indicator. The Ninja 300 is a great beginner bike, but it's also a great daily bike for an experienced rider. It'll let you thrash it to redline and still be within the legal speed limits on a public road. If you're one for counting gears, you don't need this modification, but if you're like me and would rather just have 100% focus on the road ahead until you actually want to know which gear you're in, then this can come in handy.
I spend more of my time on this little Ninja 300 than I do my big bike, so I've set it up to my own liking, which translates to a more aggressive riding position from rear sets that move the pegs up and back, and clip on handle bars that move them forward and down. This gear indicator is likely one of the final additions I'll make to this bike as it's a daily, and not meant to be a performance machine (not to say 300 cc bikes on the racetrack aren't a lot of fun!).
Contents
What's the Point of a Gear Indicator?
he's probably in the right gear
After pushing another motorcycle near its limits on some curvy private roads, I was incredibly thankful that it had a gear indicator built-in. It allowed me to setup the perfect gear just before the entry into every corner where I wasn't 100% sure of which gear I was in. This allowed me to get the perfect drive I wanted from the optimal RPM range for that motorcycle. We all know that a constant acceleration when cornering allows for the best handling a motorcycle can give, knowing I was in the perfect gear helped me a lot with my cornering confidence.
On the road, as a commuter, it's also very handy to know when you're either in gear 5 or 6 as it stops you from trying to reach for a phantom 7th gear. I found the indicator for the other end of the scale, being 1st or 2nd gear, to be less useful though, as I tend to pull up to full stops fairly abruptly, therefore skipping any 1st gear rev matching. For slow filtering, it did help me in determining whether I was in gear 2 or 3 though, also stopping me from dropping down into gear 1 unintentionally, so I could stay in 2nd gear for smoother low speed control.
But what if you're a rider that just takes it easy? There's still value in this, if you're changing down to take a slow corner, sometimes second gear is better than first to maintain a smoother turn than the potentially more sensitive first gear. In a longer turn you also won't need to change up if you run out of revs in first. And when you're down in the lower RPM ranges (e.g. below 5000 RPM) it can sometimes be hard to distinguish whether you're in first, second, or third based on the sound of the engine alone. There's no chance of making a mistake if you have a gear indicator right in front of you.
Which Gear Indicator should I buy for the Ninja 300?
This really is personal choice, but for me, my Ninja 300 is mainly a commuter/toy bike, and a relatively cheap one at that - so spending a lot of money on modifications where quality of product doesn't effect safety isn't my style. I had seen some good reviews of this eBay Gear Indicator direct from China, and at this price point for the functionality it provides, it can't be beat. Here is a link to the one I bought for around US$38. It connects straight to the diagnostics port in the rear tail of the Ninja 300.
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| Close-up of the eBay Ninja 300 gear indicator installed |
The instructions that came with the gear indicator show that there's a custom learning mode that can be activated by following certain steps, I haven't tried this yet as the gear indicator appears to be working fine from the factory. I've attached scans of both pages below for anyone that's interested:
Download Ninja 300 Gear Indicator Instructions [Page 1] [Page 2]
Testing the Gear Indicator Before Installation
Once you get your Gear Indicator, and before you install it, make sure you connect it up and switch your bike the 'ON' position so that you can see that your new toy actually works properly. You can take this one step further if you have a rear stand for your bike, and you can cycle through the gears with your bike running. If you want to try this, make sure your rear stand is stable and there's no chance of it rolling off, and you can also clamp down your front brake for security if you're concerned the bike might run off without you.
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| The green box shows the diagnostics port for you to connect the gear indicator for testing, don't bother routing the cable yet, just in case the unit is defective |
Please note that with this type of indicator, it will only register a gear when your clutch is out, and when the bike itself is running - not just at the 'ON' position with the key, but when the engine itself is running.
For completeness, the standard shifting pattern for the Ninja 300 is to push the gear lever down with the bottom of your shoe for 1st gear from Neutral, and push the gear lever up with the top of your foot to ascend to gears 2 to 6. Make sure your gear change from 1st to 2nd is a firm hard push upwards with your foot, otherwise your motorcycle may flick into neutral instead.
Gear Indicator Mounting Location
All the installs I've seen online have shown the gear indicator attached to either the far left or right of the Ninja 300 instrument panel, which didn't make sense to me - I think it should be as visible as possible when looking at the tachometer, as the RPM and the gear used are directly related.
Although there's the option to mount it at the base of the tachometer needle (next to the trip meter), I figured since your vision is reading the end of the needle where the numbers actually are, mounting it above the tachometer would be a better location (as shown below). This also works better in my case as my front brake line would not have cleared it without some adjustments due to my clip on setup.
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| Gear Indicator mounted as close to the tachometer/RPM needle reading as possible |
While deciding to use this mounting point for the gear indicator, I wanted to make sure that the mounting angle wouldn't affect visibility of the LED numbers as its face would be angled downwards, and not directly to where a rider's head would be. I tested this by connecting the gear indicator and sitting in a variety of riding positions to make sure that every digit was distinguishable from another. When you turn your bike on and off (you don't need to start it) the gear indicator will cycle through every number, one to six. There were no issues at all.
I didn't bother sticking down the gear indicator until I had completed all the wiring, just in case my choice was limited by the length of the wire provided, but in the end the length was fine for this location.
Gear Indicator Wiring Route Plan
Installation is simple, it might take some time, but it's well worth the effort for a cleanly installed finish. I wanted to wire everything along the standard wiring loom from the tail of the bike to the front, so I had to remove or loosen a few fairings. If you're use to pulling these off for servicing or installation of other modifications, it's fairly easy and won't take up much of your time. Here's a graphic to give you an idea of what I removed from the left side of the bike, note that the rider's seat was removed, so the small right side fairing just below the seat was also removed along with the left:
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| Gear indicator wiring is run down the left side of the bike, cable tied to the existing wiring loom. |
Gear Indicator Installation
Hang the gear indicator over your windscreen, or place it somewhere at the front of your bike near your decided mounting position so that it won't fall down or get scratched against anything. You'll be threading the wiring from the front of the bike to the back of the bike, pushing the connector port through the small gaps that are available to you. Here's a sequence of photos showing the wiring locations I used, don't bother cable tying anything down until you've gotten all the wiring completed and everything is confirmed working.
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| Run the cable down the left side of the instrument panel and inner fairing, down towards the existing wiring loom. |
You can place one or two cable ties when the wire is against the main wiring loom (as shown below), but don't fully tighten them yep to allow decent play in the wire in all directions. After lifting the tank slightly by loosening the two bolts near the rider's seat you can put a block of wood (or similar) to hold the tank up about 30 mm to 40 mm make it easier to thread the cable underneath it.
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| Routing the cable under the tank along the OEM wiring loom. |
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| Routing the cable under the rider's seat along the OEM wiring loom |
Once you get the wire up into the Ninja 300's tail/boot area, connect the gear indicator and turn it your bike on to make sure everything is still working as intended. If all is good, place cable ties to secure where required and tighten then all up, be sure to leave enough slack in the tail area of the wiring so that future disconnection of the gear indicator can be easily done when required.
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| The green box shows the diagnostics port for you to connect the gear indicator |
Gear Indicator On-Road Test and Review
After running a few hundred kilometres on small stop-start roads, with a variety of corners and cambering with this installed, it's a device best used for corner preparation, setting yourself up in the perfect gear for any turn - importantly, before you make the turn. I say 'before', because of the delay in the gear indicator registering the current gear you're in, if you're slamming down gears the indicator won't be able to keep up, and you'll likely be one gear below what it displays at that specific time - this is with rev-matching, complete clutch-out downshifting through 3-4 gears. The best way to use the indicator is note the gear you're in before the corner, know the gear you're aiming for, and then just downshift the amount of times required - so if you're approaching a corner in 5th gear, and you know the optimal gear is 2nd for this turn, just count three down shifts and you'll be set.
It might not be the perfect tool, but for $38 it's a great tool to have. And although it won't be as responsive as a gear indicator that's installed stock standard on another bike, it does a good job for what it is. As with any tool, you need to know how to use it - if used well, this one will allow you to set yourself up for the perfect line through a corner with full confidence.
on the t-consumer satisfaction scale
4 years on in 2020...
I didn't realise it had been this long, but this bad boy is still going strong. I ride in rain and sunshine, and occasionally leave my motorcycle parked outside too, regardless of the weather. Totally worth it!
Alternative Products
Although the exact item I purchased may no longer be available, there are alternatives that are resold and appear to be identical at face value, and the installation instructions may be still be helpful. Some of these may include:
- IDEA Gear Indicator from Amazon
- eBay Gear Indicator
A comprehensive write up. Yes, people are still out there on 300 in 2020
ReplyDeleteAwesome to hear. I still ride my Ninja 300, and it's still a lot of fun!
DeleteBought mine a 2016 last June after a 1000 Yam. Had more fun in the 300 than the 1000. Use it for alsort even taking it to work rather than the car. Recommended fun bike. Also fitted gear indicator. Definitely needed
ReplyDeleteYeah that's awesome. I ride my 300 a lot more than the 1000, riding the 300 to work is a highlight of my day for sure!
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