The Kawasaki Ninja is a popular series of sportbikes created by the eponymous Japanese giant.
The Ninja motorcycle range is an eclectic one and suits riders of all different levels.
This coupled with athletic looks and sporty and reliable engines have helped to make it one of the most successful and popular motorcycle choices in the US and around the world.
It’s helped the Ninja brand stretch into its 4th decade already.
This article answers “Do Kawasaki Ninjas Have Hazard Lights?”…
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Do Kawasaki Ninjas Have Hazard Lights?
On the 2021 models of 600cc and over, there are hazard lights on the Kawasaki Ninja. For 400cc and below, there are not. The hazard light switch can be found among the left handlebar controls on the Ninja 650, 1000 SX, ZX6R, H2, ZX10R, and other higher-performance models from 2021.
It is possible to install them yourself on earlier models, and not overly complicated.
Hazard lights are a simple and effective safety tool to have on your Kawasaki Ninja, but they are not installed as a standard feature.
What Are Hazard Lights On A Motorcycle?
Similar to those on a regular car, van, truck, or other automobile, hazard lights are a safety feature by which at the press of a button, all the car’s turn signals will start to blink in steady unison.
The idea is to help make you more visible to other traffic when you are at the side of the road having broken down or experienced a collision.
Upon activation, all four of your turn signals, front and rear, will activate together and blink in a steady pattern simultaneously.
Is It Legal If My Bike Doesn’t Have Hazard Lights At All?
Due to the fact that no state in the US imposes a requirement on motorcycles to have hazard lights, it is therefore not a legal requirement to have them installed on your motorcycle.
In other countries, they are standard equipment, including Japan.
Those who import a JDM motorcycle from Japan may find that even bikes from 10-15 or more years ago have hazard lights on.
They have also been standard equipment in the UK and EU since the 1990s.
The US currently has no such requirements among all 50 states, though there are other requirements regarding helmet use, eye protection, rearview mirrors, headlights, and taillights.
How To Turn On Hazard Lights On My Motorcycle?
If your motorcycle has hazard lights, then the button to activate them should be located on one of the handlebars.
On the Kawasaki Ninja bikes that come with hazard lights pre-installed, it is located on the left-hand handlebar control.
It is denoted by a large button with a red triangle motif on it.
This is the standard symbol used by just about every vehicle, either as a red button with white triangles, or a darker color of button fitting the dash or frame and covered in a red triangle.
All you have to do to activate the lights is press the button once.
The hazard lights will immediately activate and start blinking.
If you wish to turn the lights off, then you just push the button again once more and they will go off.
What Ninja Models Have Hazard Lights Pre-Installed
Kawasaki Ninja models from 2020 and earlier do not come with hazard lights pre-installed.
The 2021 models that have the lights installed are typical of the mid-to higher-cc level.
The Ninja 400, for instance, does not have hazard lights, but from the 2021 Ninja 650 and upwards, you will find them.
Models include (all from 2021 model year):
- Ninja 650
- Ninja 1000 ABS
- Ninja ZX6R
- Ninja ZX10R
- Ninja ZX14R
- Ninja H2 SX
- Ninja H2
The location for the hazard light switch on all of these Kawasaki Ninja models is the same, though the button doesn’t always look exactly the same.
Look at the left-hand handlebar control cluster, and you’ll see it either in the lower section as a grey/black oval-shaped button with red triangles, or you’ll see it slightly higher up as a red button with a white triangle on it (or red triangles above it).
Can I Install Hazard Lights On My Ninja or Any Motorcycle In General?
On a Kawasaki Ninja, you can certainly install hazard lights if you want, and the procedure isn’t overly complicated.
Below is a simple summary of how the hazard lights can be installed on a Kawasaki Ninja 400
Step 1: Take a used ER6N housing, from which you can extract the red button with about 2 inches or so of white, green, and orange cables.
Step 2: Disassemble your OEM housing and then place the red switch and wires, soldering them to the corresponding color locations — they should be the same.
Step 3: Reassemble the OEM housing and try out the button to make sure it works.
The fact is that just about any motorcycle can have hazard lights installed.
Either by attaching and wiring in an external switch that ties into your lighting system or by using a method similar to the Kawasaki Ninja.
Use existing housings of the same size (but with additional gaps for switches) to build the hazard lights into your bike with a more integrated and natural look.
The parts to get the job done are cheap and easy to get.
But if you are at all unsure about any of the processes or know-how, then you shouldn’t attempt to do this job yourself.
Installing electrical components means getting into the wiring of your motorcycle, and that is not always safe for those who are not trained, professionals.
Therefore, always consult a professional bike mechanic if you want to get hazard lights installed properly and safely.
How To Make Warning Signals Without Hazard Lights?
Because a great number of motorcycles do not come with hazard lights, it may leave some wondering how it is that a motorcycle rider can signal to others when they need to.
In fact, there are dozens of existing signals that exist already, at least 16 very commonly used that help motorcycle riders signal their intentions with no hazard lights, and even with no turn signals.
Below we’ve added descriptions.
Interestingly, they all use the left arm.
Most are used to signal other riders in a group, but many have universal communication ability and can help signal other road users:
- Left arm extended horizontally – intending to turn left
- Left arm held up bent at right-angle – intending to turn right
- Left arm extended down with palm facing back – stop
- Left arm extended straight out, palm up, swinging arm up – speed up
- Left arm extended out horizontally, palm down, motion down – slow down
- Extend arm straight up from the shoulder, palm forward – follow me
- Arm extended upward 45 degrees, index finger down, swing forward – you take the lead
- Arm extended pointing with an index finger to the ground, right fight extended out with foot pointed up – hazard in roadway
- Extend arm up with index finger extended – get in single file
- Extend arm up with index and middle finger extended – get in double file
- Extend arm with clenched fist, move up and down – take a bathroom break
- Fingers closed, thumb to mouth – refreshment stop
- Open and close hand with fingers and thumb extended – signal
- Hold arm up as for right turn, then motion back and forth with index finger extended – exit road
- Tap your helmet top – police ahead
- Arm curled into handle motion at body side – stop for gas
Riders can use more common-sense hand signals for when they need to signal on the road, like simply using left and right arms extended for turns, or a swinging motion from rear to front to indicate to other road users that they can pass you.
In the event of a hazardous situation, it’s important that if riders don’t have hazard lights, they should make use of reflective high-visibility clothing, reflective decals, etc.
Keeping a set of these in a bag or in your bike’s storage area is a good idea.
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