Kawasaki ER-6n (2006-2016) Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals

This is the maintenance schedule with associated service intervals for the Kawasaki ER-6n.

The Kawasaki ER-6n is the naked sibling of the Ninja 650, a.k.a. the ER-6F (the “n” in ER-6n is for “naked”). It’s very much the same bike, just sans fairing!

Kawasaki has made the ER-6n since 2006, but only sold it in the US since 2009. It was retired in 2017 in favour of the Kawasaki Z650, which was updated at the same time as the Ninja 650.

The ER-6n is powered by a torquey 649cc liquid-cooled, DOHC, four-valve-per-cylinder parallel-twin engine. It’s the same engine that powers other similar motorcycles, like the Versys 650. It doesn’t set your hair on fire, but it’s an engine that most people can’t kill before they crash their bikes.

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Maintenance Schedule for Kawasaki ER-6n

Below is the maintenance schedule for the Kawasaki ER-6n.

The following is the list of maintenance operations and to be done on this motorcycle with a time or distance interval — whichever comes earlier.

The maintenance for the Kawasaki ER-6n is broken into three sections: Change/Replacement Items, Engine Related Items, and Chassis-Related Items.

Legend

  • I = Inspect
  • L = Lubricate
  • R = Replace
  • C = Change

Notes:

  • For higher odometer readings, repeat at the frequency interval established below.
  • The break in schedule is no longer shown (as the time has passed)

Items to replace on a Kawasaki ER-6n

km x 100012243648
mi x 10007.51522.530Every
Air cleaner elementIIIIEvery 2 years, or more often when riding in rain / dust
Engine oil # CCCCEvery year, or more often when riding aggressively (dust, traffic, high speed)
Oil filterRRRREvery year
Fuel hosesR4 years
CoolantR3 years
Radiator hoses and O-ringsR3 years
Brake hoses and pipeR4 years
Brake fluid (front and rear)RR2 years
Rubber parts of master cylinder
and caliper
R4 years
Spark plugCCCC
Kawasaki ER-6n — items to change/replace

Periodic Maintenance — Engine

km x 100061218243036
mi x 10003.757.511.251518.7522.5
Valve clearanceI
Throttle control system (play, smooth return, no drag)IIIyear
Engine vacuum
synchronization
III
Idle speedIII
Fuel leak (fuel hose and pipe)IIIyear
Fuel hoses damageIIIyear
Fuel hoses installation
condition
IIIyear
Coolant levelIII
Coolant leakIIIyear
Radiator hose damageIIIyear
Radiator hoses installation
condition
IIIyear
Evaporative emission control system (California)IIIIII
Air suction system damageIII
Periodic Maintenance – Engine of Kawasaki ER-6n

Maintenance of the Chassis of a Kawasaki ER-6n

km x 100061218243036
mi x 10003.757.511.251518.7522.5Every
Clutch and drive train:
Clutch operation
(play, engagement,
disengagement)
III
Drive chain wear #III
Drive chain guide wearIII
Wheels and tires:
Tire air pressureIIIyear
Wheels/tires damageIII
Tire tread wear, abnormal wearIII
Wheel bearings damageIIIyear
Brake system:
Brake fluid leakIIIIIIyear
Brake hoses damageIIIIIIyear
Brake pad wear #IIIIII
Brake hose installation conditionIIIIIIyear
Brake fluid levelIIIIII6 months
Brake operation
(effectiveness, play, drag)
IIIIIIyear
Brake light switch operationIIIIII
Suspension:
Front forks/rear shock absorber operation (damping and smooth stroke)III
Front forks/rear shock absorber oil leakIIIyear
Steering System:
Steering playIIIyear
Steering stem bearingsL2 years
Electrical System:
Lights and switches operationIIIyear
Headlight aimingIIIyear
Side stand switch operationIIIyear
Engine stop switch operationIIIyear
Chassis:
Chassis partsLLLyear
Bolts and nuts tightnessIII
Maintaining the Chassis of a Kawasaki ER-6n

Maintaining Your Chain on the Kawasaki ER-6n

It’s important to maintain your chain on the ER-6n, particularly as these get used as commuters, which can be surprisingly high-stress. Use a good-quality chain lubricant like Motul chain paste, or a Motul chain care kit which comes with a couple of handy tools to maintain the chain.

Kawasaki recommends you follow the following chain maintenance schedule:

Chain maintenance itemEvery
Check drive chain lubrication condition, lubricating if necessary (Motul chain paste)400 mi / 600 km
Check drive chain slack, adjusting if necessary600 mi / 1000 km
Chain maintenance — Kawasaki ER-6n

Notes:

  • Do these items (checking/adjusting slack, and checking/applying lubrication) more often if you ride your ER-6n in dusty or rainy conditions.
  • Always lubricate the chain after washing the motorcycle.

Tyre size and tyre pressure for the Kawasaki ER-6n

The Kawasaki ER-6n has the following tyres and tyre sizes standard, as well as the following recommended tyre pressures.

WheelTyre sizeTyre pressure (cold)Shipped tyre brands
Front120/70 ZR17 M/C (58W)225 kPa/32psiDUNLOP SPORTMAX ROADSMART CQG
Rear160/60 ZR17 M/C (69W)250 kPa/36psiDUNLOP SPORTMAX ROADSMART G
Kawasaki ER-6n tyre sizes and pressures

General information about the Kawasaki ER-6n

The Kawasaki ER-6n is an affordable bike that’s easy to ride and which outperforms considering how cheap and simple it is.

The ER-6n is a member of Kawasaki’s parallel twin-powered family of middleweights. It’s powered by the same 649cc 180-degree parallel-twin water-cooled engine that powers the Ninja 650, Versys 650, and Vulcan S.

It’s not a terribly inspiring engine, but it makes torque everywhere you need it, and easily takes riders to speeds north of 180 km/h where a naked bike starts to feel like maybe it doesn’t belong (probably far below that for most mortals).

The Kawasaki ER-6n’s beauty is in its versatility. It’s near perfect as a commuter motorcycle — lightweight, simple, difficult to stall, easy to steer, and very, very reliable. In fact, I’ve never seen a ER-6n ruined through anything other than neglect or a crash.

The engine in the ER-6n will, if serviced, regularly go past 100,000 km (60,000 miles) without even sounding different. Many owners even forego valve inspections (but they really shouldn’t).

A few things that make the ER-6n easy to ride are the lightweight clutch, neutral finder in the transmission, and very clear display.

While the ER-6n only makes modest power, it’s still a popular choice for a track day bike as it’s so cheap to service, change tyres for, and (if necessary) replace if it’s totalled. It’s tempting for new owners to replace the exhaust, but the reality is that the first modifications you should make to the ER-6n, if you planning on pushing it hard, are to the suspension and brakes.

Manual for the Kawasaki ER-6n

Kawasaki ER-6n Maintenance Schedule Screenshot From Manual

The above maintenance schedule comes directly from the user’s manual for the Kawasaki ER-6n, which is available here.

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