Kawasaki Super Sherpa Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals
This is the maintenance schedule with associated service intervals for the Kawasaki Super Sherpa.
The Kawasaki Super Sherpa is an entry-level dual-sport motorcycle. It was first offered in Japan from 1997, and sold in the US from 1999 to 2003. In 2009, Kawasaki decided to resell the Super Sherpa in the US for one glorious year.
So this applies to the Kawasaki Super Sherpa in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 and then suddenly in 2009. And any other years you happen to find! The maintenance schedule for the Super Sherpa is the same between years — nothing changed.
The Kawasaki Super Sherpa has a 249 cc DOHC four-valve air/oil-cooled four-stroke single-cylinder engine. It is fully featured with electric starting, front and rear-disc brakes, low seat height, plenty of suspension travel, and complete instrumentation, on top of a full audio system, heated seats, etc. (jokes, it’s a basic motorcycle).
It’s an alternative to the more advanced Honda CRF250L or Yamaha XT250, but the Super Sherpa is competent on its own.
This post was originally published on October 28, 2020, but has since been considerably updated with more detail.
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Kawasaki Super Sherpa Service Intervals
The Kawasaki Super Sherpa has quite generous (for its class) service intervals of 3500 miles or 6000 km. At every service, do an oil change, and check the spark plug. You’ll also want to look over the rest of the bike for leaks, cracks, damaged pipes, and so on.
Every second service, check the valve clearances. The Super Sherpa has just a 4-valve single cylinder and it is easy to get to for that check.
Finally, with a hydraulic brake, make sure you change the Super Sherpa’s brake fluid regularly — every 2 years.
Maintenance Schedule for Kawasaki Super Sherpa
Below is the maintenance schedule for the Kawasaki Super Sherpa.
The following is the list of maintenance operations to be done on this motorcycle with a time or distance interval — whichever comes earlier.
Notes:
- For higher odometer readings, repeat at the frequency interval established below.
- For items marked “check”: repair, tighten up, or replace as necessary.
- For items with distance and time intervals, follow the earlier of the two.
| mi x 1000 | 4 | 7.5 | 12 | 15 | 20 | 24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km x 1000 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 2 | 30 | 36 | Every |
| Engine oil – change (Kawasaki 10W-40 engine oil) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 6 months |
| Oil filter – replace (HF112) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Spark plug – Clean and gap | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Valve clearance – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Air cleaner element – clean. Replace as necessary | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | More often when riding in dust / rain | |||
| Throttle grip play – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Idle speed – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Spark arrester – clean | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Brake lever play – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Brake light switch – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Brake pad wear – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Brake fluid level – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | month |
| Brake fluid – change (Castrol DOT 4) | ✓ | 2 years | |||||
| Brake master cylinder cup and dust seal – replace | 4 years | ||||||
| Caliper piston seal and dust seal replace | 4 years | ||||||
| Clutch – adjust | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Steering play – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Nuts, bolts, and fasteners – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Tire wear – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Swingarm pivot, unitrak linkage-lubricate (Lithium soap-based grease) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Steering stem bearing – lubricate (Lithium soap-based grease) | ✓ | 2 years | |||||
| Front fork oil – change | ✓ | 2 years | |||||
| Front fork oil leak – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Rear shock absorber oil leak – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Spoke tightness and rim runout – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| General Lubrication – perform | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Drive chain wear – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Maintaining Your Chain on the Kawasaki Super Sherpa
It’s important to maintain your chain on the Super Sherpa, as on any chain-driven motorcycle. 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 item | Every |
|---|---|
| Check drive chain wear. Replace chain plus sprockets as necessary | Service |
| Check drive chain lubrication condition, lubricating if necessary (Motul chain paste) | 400 mi / 600 km |
| Check drive chain slack, adjusting if necessary | 600 mi / 1000 km |
Notes:
- Do these items (checking/adjusting slack, and checking/applying lubrication) more often if you ride your Super Sherpa in dusty or rainy conditions.
- Always lubricate the chain after washing the motorcycle.
Tyre size and tyre pressure for the Kawasaki Super Sherpa
The Kawasaki Super Sherpa ships with the following tire sizes and has the following recommended tire pressures per the manual.
- Front tire size: Size: 7.75-21 45 P
- Rear tire size: Size: 4.10 – 18 59 P
The manual for the Kawasaki Super Sherpa recommends the following tire pressures (when cold):
- Front: Up to 165 kg (364 lb) Load – 150 kPa/21 psi
- Rear (up to 97.5 kg/215 lb load) – 150 kPa/21 psi
- Rear (97.5-165kg [215-364 lb] load) – 175 kPa/25 psi
The original Super Sherpas shipped with Bridgestone Trail Wing tyres.
About the Kawasaki Super Sherpa
The Kawasaki Super Sherpa is an entry-level dual-sport motorcycle powered by a 249cc four-stroke DOHC four-valve thumper.
It’s a basic bike. There’s no high-end gear on the Super Sherpa. It’s designed to just go about its business both off and on road, be easily serviceable, and last forever with proper care.
The heart of the Kawasaki Super Sherpa is the 249 cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine. It makes rated power of 30 hp or 22 kW at 8500 rpm, which is about on par with most 250cc-class air-cooled singles.
The fuelling of the Super Sherpa is by a Mikuni BST carburettor, which helps the Super Sherpa deliver good low and mid-range torque. Unusually for a thumper, the engine is very smooth, thanks to a gear-driven balancer.
The suspension is basic but extremely functional. The Super Sherpa has a 36mm telescopic fork (standard, not inverted, and no, not adjustable) and ground clearance of a whopping 270mm, making the Super Sherpa live up to its name. This is really a dual sport you can take offroad and go on mini adventures, or just trundle around on, roaming large properties. You probably won’t do jumps or “motocross” type adventuring over boulders, but… you can try. It’ll survive.
The Super Sherpa is often mistakenly thought of just as a “beginner” motorcycle. Even though it can be, the Super Sherpa is also just a motorcycle that everyone enjoys. It’s extremely pleasant to ride, being smooth, easy to manage, and very easy to repair — it just doesn’t get easier than carburettor-fed air-cooled thumpers. Keep a spare spark plug, some rags, oil, and a clutch cable handy and you are equipped with a machine that’ll take you forever and a day into the countryside.
One surprising thing about the Super Sherpa is just how smooth it is on the highway for an engine of this size. This is due to its six-speed transmission and the counter-balancer.
Braking on the Super Sherpa is as simple as the rest of the bike — a single 250mm disc up front and a two-piston caliper, and at least there’s a disc brake at the rear with a 1-piston caliper on it.
Finally, the Super Sherpa has a 21/18-inch tire setup, making it great for off-road exploration.
Manual for the Kawasaki Super Sherpa
The above maintenance schedule comes directly from the user’s manual for the Kawasaki Super Sherpa, which is available here.
