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Steering head bearing replacement
- savedrider
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- 1975 Z1-B 900
What are the benefits of this upgrade? Should I go ahead and do it now? How difficult are they to replace - any special tools required? How can I tell if mine are bad? I'll definitely consult my shop manual, but I don't have it in front of me right now unfortunately.
I noticed that the current steering seems like it always wants to lock straight forward. With the wheel off the ground if I turn left or right there is a noticable stiff/springy spot that wants to return to center. Is this normal, or part of the problem with the stock setup? Seems to me it should just flow smooth left to right.
Get right or get left! <*{{{><
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- Kawickrice
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- After Monday & Tuesday, even the calendar says WTF
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kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&...d=5&id=341185#341205
73 Kawasaki Z1
07 HD CVO Ultra Classic
82 Suzuki GS 1100
74 Yamaha RD 350 (My two stroke toy)
77 Kawasaki KZ 650B-1 (My putt around bike)
80 Indian Moped (My American Iron)
1
Long Gone
75 Suzuki GT550
74 GT 380
79 RD 400 Daytona Special
72 Honda CL 175
74 Honda QA 50
Tampa FL
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- savedrider
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Get right or get left! <*{{{><
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- savedrider
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Get right or get left! <*{{{><
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- Kawickrice
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I used a block of wood to get them in, the lower one goes past flush so I used a wooden dowel to drive it all the way in.
When you put the lower bearing on the stem it is tight, what I did was use a large crescent wrench and opened the jaws so I could catch the inside of the bearing then taped it on with a hammer. "DO NOT" use the outer part of the bearing while tapping with a hammer you will destroy the bearing
73 Kawasaki Z1
07 HD CVO Ultra Classic
82 Suzuki GS 1100
74 Yamaha RD 350 (My two stroke toy)
77 Kawasaki KZ 650B-1 (My putt around bike)
80 Indian Moped (My American Iron)
1
Long Gone
75 Suzuki GT550
74 GT 380
79 RD 400 Daytona Special
72 Honda CL 175
74 Honda QA 50
Tampa FL
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- tinlizzie37
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Bob KZ 650 E1, En 450
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- Becker
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- The Doctor Will Rise Again
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When it tries to stay centered like that its called detented. It will try to wobble while you're going down the road and will scare the crap outta you. To test the steering stem bearings elevate the front wheel. Then lightly push on one of the handle bars. It should fall all the way to the side that you pushed it. If it sticks, hangs up, is notchy, or hard to push then something is wrong. it doesn't necessarily mean the bearings are bad. it could be cables or brake lines that are tight or improperly routed.
78 KZ750B3
79 KZ400 LTD
78 KZ650C2
79 KZ650C3
78 KZ650B2A
80 KZ650F1
80 KZ650E1
81 CB750K Super Sport
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- RonKZ650
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321,000 miles on KZ's that I can remember. Not going to see any more.
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- TerryK
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Picture this:
Tiny little indentations have been worn into the bearing races. As you make the minute steering inputs that happen thousands of times every ride, the balls want to fall into these indentations, while you are trying to force them back out. This little dance can case a pretty severe wobble.
Change them and be happy....and safe.
1977 KZ1000
GSXR swingarm and rear brake
WM6 rear Akront rim
Wiseco 1075c pistons
33 smoothbores
stage 3 Web Cams
Head porting
Dyna S ignition
Lockhart oil cooler
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1980 Z1R drag bike
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- 650ed
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I noticed that the current steering seems like it always wants to lock straight forward. With the wheel off the ground if I turn left or right there is a noticable stiff/springy spot that wants to return to center. Is this normal, or part of the problem with the stock setup? Seems to me it should just flow smooth left to right.
The symptoms you decribe above are the absolute classic sign of steering stem bearing race dimpling. The balls hammer against the races everytime you hit a bump, especially if things aren't adjusted just right and lubed well, resulting in tiny dimples in the races the balls then tend to seek and stay in the dimples. You will need to replace the bearings to correct this.
Tapered roller bearings give much more bearing surface area than ball bearings. Think of the bearing contact area of a tapered roller as a "stripe" for each roller that goes from one end of the roller to the other where the roller contacts the race. Then consider the bearing contact area of a ball as a single small "spot" for each ball where the ball contacts the race. The total contact area of the roller bearing "stripes" is much greater than that of the ball bearing "spots." This additional contact area spreads the load reducing the pounds per square inch of pressure at the contact area and eliminates the "dimpling" that is common on ball bearing steering stem races. This reduced pressure also makes tapered roller bearings last longer than ball bearings. The reason is is easy to visualize when you consider the roller bearings making contact with the full width of the bearing races compared to the ball bearings running in a single line near the center of the races. I highly recommend using tapered roller bearings when you replace the steering stem bearings. Having done so on my KZ650C1 I can attest to the fact that on my bike the roller bearings are dead smooth and feel more solid than the ball bearings. Ed
1977 KZ650-C1 Original Owner - Stock (with additional invisible FIAMM horn)
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- savedrider
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In the past I used to notice a clunk at low speed over a divot or bump the the road. Haven't noticed it lately, but I always figured it was the steering head needing adjusting. Not sure why I never looked into it until now. I will post my findings once I get things torn down. I ordered the new bearings today.
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- savedrider
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Get right or get left! <*{{{><
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