Hi Jonathan
Thats pretty bad the haynes being out of stock and having such a long lead time :-( I managed to track it down at a local motorcycle store.
I see amazon have some listed at crazy prices, as far as I know its still in print so if you have any problems getting it have a look at
http://www.haynes.com/naordin.html. There are some numbers on there to call. Its book 2052.
Make sure you are ordering the 87 to 99 book, not the old book which only covers the EX500A (that's long out of print so you should be ok).
You ask "how long do you let it run for?" you mean how long can the oil be left in between changes?
If so, that seems to be somewhat of a matter for debate. Some people like to change their oil more regularly than recommended, others leave it longer. The common opinion is that regular oil changes are good for the engine as the oil removes dirt from the engine. Also as oil is used it is broken down so it looses some of its properties. Synthetic oil is supposed to be more resistant to being broken down and also works better at high temperatures (the EX engine is water cooled so should not get very hot).
The 99 Ninja is a D6 isn't it?
The haynes service schedule for the D6 says
Evey 600km (400 miles):
Lubricate the drive chain
1000km (600 miles):
Check / adjust the drive chain slack
6000km (3700 miles):
Clean and gap the spark plugs
Check the operation of the air suction valves if fitted
Change the engine oil
Check/adjust the clutch freeplay
Check the drive chain and sprockets for wear
Check the brake system
Check the steering head bearings for freeplay
Check the tyres and wheels
Check the battery electrolyte level
12000km (7400 miles):
Adjust the valve clearances
Clean/inspect the air filter element
Check the throttle for smooth operation and correct freeplay
Check the choke cable freeplay
Check/adjust the idle speed
Check/adjust the carburettor synchronisation
Change the engine oil and oil filter
Check the suspension
Lubricate the swingarm needle bearings and Uni-trak linkage
Lubricate all cables
Lubricate the clutch and brake lever pivots
Lubricate the gearchange/brake lever pivots and the sidestand/centerstand pivots
Check the exhaust system for leaks and check the tightness of fasteners
Check the evaporative emissions control system (California models)
Clean the fuel filter and check the fuel and vacuum hoses
Check the cooling system for leaks and the hose condition
Ever 24000km (14900 miles) or every 2 years:
Change the coolant
Change the brake fluid
Lubricate the steering head bearings
Every 4 years:
Overhaul the brake calipers(s) and master cylinder
Non-scheduled maintenance:
Change the fork oil
Renew the fuel hoses
Renew the hydraulic brake hoses
Cylinder compression check
I'll be honest when I first read that list I thought "my god there's no way I will be able to do most of that" but having spent the best part of 6 months with the bike, a lot of it is not as complicated as it sounds. The haynes manual is (usually) pretty helpful too. I'm not going to lie and say I have done it all, cleaning the fuel filter seems like a pain in the butt and requires buying parts from Kawasaki :-(, etc.
Oil wise, I consider it worth using a good quality oil and keeping to the recommendations. So far I have changed the filter with each oil change. They are not that expensive if bought from mail order companies (a genuine one works out about half the dealer price to me anyway).
Oil wise, I am currently using Shell Advance VSX because it was on special when I last ordered some oil filters. Before that I used morris sport 4, which I did not think was as good.
I find the whole issue of oil to be a little confusing. There are many people out there who say Automotive oil is just as good as bike oil. Others will tell you only to use bike oil (often dealers who sell bike oil at a huge profit). I guess if you buy bike oil you get the assurance that the manufacturer is putting their name to the fact that it will work ok. Shell recommend their VSX4 for the GPZ/EX500. I haven't decided if I am going to try the oil I use in my car next time, it states "Suitable for all motorcycles".
I'm afraid you have to weigh up the evidence and take your pick. I guess first time round I would buy a good motorcycle oil, and see how you go. To me that means a semi-synthetic, but I'm sure others here will have different views
If you would like me to scan the bits of the manual covering the oil change then I can do that for you and email them.
Basically, remove the belly pan (if fitted).
Go for a ride to warm up the oil.
Remove the oil filler (allows the oil to flow out quickly).
Undo the oil drain plug. Its the big bolt on the bottom of the sump. Its slightly to the right hand side of the bike (if you are looking at the oil filter from by the front wheel that would be your left) and roughly at the front.
Be careful the oil is hot (but you knew that you have done a car before).
The oil filter unscrews as you would expect. You may need a filter wrench if its been on a while or was tightened a bit too much before.
You may need to change the washer (another debate, you can get away with not doing so sometimes but when its leaking you can't change it). I haven't got round to ordering one from Kawasaki as my dealer doesn't keep them in stock :-(, if you want it to go smoothly order one and change it).
Do up the sump plug, fit a new filter, oiling the seal as you go. Now fill up the engine with oil (I find towards the top of the window is good). Then start it up (gently). Unfortunately you can't crank mine with the kill switch off, so either flick it off as it fires or just let it idle very gently (mine usually starts with the choke off unless its cold). Your just trying to get oil round before things start to wear. Let it run a little and the oil get round. Switch off, wait 5 minutes and top up the oil so its in the middle of the window.
It may be worth doing up the sump plug with a torque wrench as you don't want to over tighten it (if you don't have a torque wrench be careful you could strip the thread out of the sump which will be expensive, so don't do it up too tight). Haynes says the torque is 29Nm (22 ft-lbs).
Ok, I've written enough of an epic, I should go and do something useful ;-)
Hope that is of help.
Chris