Steering Tapered Bearing

I'm rebuilding a 76 KZ900 and I am trying to put in tapered bearings but am having trouble getting the old seats out. This is my first time doing this and im really not sure what to do. Any input would help. Thanks

Outer Race Removal:

1. To remove the outer races grab your torch and Heat the FRAME around the Race (not the race itself). Take care to NOT burn or scorch the Cables/Brake Lines etc. i.e. put some layers of Aluminium Foil Around them or sheet of Aluminium. You CAN drive the Upper race COLD if you have a BFH (BIG HAMMER) and a LONG Drift, but it’s like pulling teeth. You need the Drift in any case. Wear GLOVES, thick cotton Garden gloves or Leather ones.
2. After applying the heat (Get them good and hot), Grab you LONG Drift and drive the Top Inner Race out from the Bottom, i.e. stick the Long Drift in from underneath, through the bottom of the Steering Headstock and drive the Upper race out of the Top of the Frame. Work your way around the circumference of the race until it pops out. Jean #636 notes: "The drift punch. I really fought hard dislodging the old outer races before using a Drift Punch with a 3/16" point. The one I used was made by DASCO Pro reference number 603-0. I am sure there are other tools you can use but this one made the job really easy. (for the Lower Bearing) the drift has to be at least 8-1/2" inches in length to go all the way through the frame tube."
3. Removal of the Lower outer Race is the same as for the Upper, just heat the Lower Frame AROUND the Race and drive it out using a drift placed in from the top, so that you drive the race out the BOTTOM of the (Frame) Headstock.
4. A good alternative, for those of you with access to a Welder, is to place a bead of weld around the RIM or the INSIDE of the OLD bearing race. When it cools, the bead of weld will try to contract and cause the Bearing to also contract, allowing it to be easily removed from the Headstock.

Inner Race Removal:

The Upper inner race should already be out by now, so this is only relevant to the lower one, which is a tight fit on the shaft.

1. This one’s a bit more tricky. If you bought a new Gasket Ring (the one under the Bearing) you can both heat and whack that and not worry. Apply heat to the bearing, but clean all the GREASE off it first so it doesn’t smoke you to death and do it in a WELL VENTILATED AREA. Heat it good and hot.
2. Lie the Steering Head Shaft and forks down on a Bench or on the floor, with the threaded end of the shaft hard up against a Solid Piece of Timber. The threads are very fine so don’t drive against anything metal or concrete. You will damage the threads. Using a drift (or slide hammer if you can get the jaws on) drive the back of the bearing toward the threaded end of the shaft. It’s hard to do without damaging that washer and the Bearing Race MUST Be HOT. Wear Gloves.!
3. Alternatively, cut a piece of thick foil to shield the lower grease shield. Then place a length of thick walled tubing over the stem and run a weld with a mig welder around the tube/bearing. Then used a hammer and chisel on the weld to force it off.
4. Don't forget to take off the Rubber Gasket Ring if you damaged it.

Bearing Replacement:

Inner Race Replacement:

The Upper Inner Race Just Fits over the shaft without any hammering, so this is confined to the Lower Inner Race Only.

1. Put the Lower one on First. Don’t forget the Rubber Gasket Ring with the Steel backing goes on FIRST, Before the Bearing. The Rubber side faces the bearing (i.e. up). If you damaged it and are 1 Million miles from a new one, use some Silicone to seal the tear. If you can, use Lots of Ice in a water bucket and place the Steering Shaft (With forks etc attached) in the Bucket to cool the Shaft of the Forks as much as possible before replacing the bearing. Alternatively if you have access to some Liquid Nitrogen, spray some of that on... . JOKE, but if you do use it, careful it’ll take all the skin off your hand.
2. Place the Bearing Inner Race (It has the Rollers on it) over the shaft with the Rollers facing UP i.e. Tapered so wide end is closest the Bottom of the forks) and let is slide down toward the Rubber Gasket Ring. It will get stuck about an Inch or so above the Gasket Ring because the shaft is slightly bigger at that point. Heat the Bearing with your Torch, Good and Hot JUST the Bearing. Alternatively you can heat the Bearing First and WEARING your gloves, place it over the Cold Shaft and Drive it Straight away. This way keeps the Shaft Cooler longer but you MUST be careful of the VERY HOT Bearing. The best way to drive it is to use a piece of thick walled Pipe JUST larger than the shaft and drive that down onto the bearing. A piece long enough to drive from the top above the threads is most ideal. You don't HAVE to heat it, but it can make the job easier. Don’t Drive the needles or needle cage, drive the solid metal next to the shaft. If you drive the needles or needle cage you will RUIN the bearing. Don’t drive using a screwdriver. Don’t use the OLD bearing it will get STUCK on the shaft. Perhaps you can file out or sand out the old bearing so it is big enough to drive the old one without getting stuck, but test it FIRST.! Jean #686 notes: "Putting back the new lower bearing inner race I fought and swore long and hard again before getting a 1"x18" galvanized steel pipe with a rubber thingy on both ends at the local hardware store. It's apparently a plumber accessory. It rests nicely on the inside of the joint without touching the needles and it's long enough that you can hammer it without risk of hitting the top of the steering column. It then went down like butter. I used a heat gun but I am not absolutely convinced it was necessary."
3. Drive it all the way to the bottom until it comes up nice and hard against the stop above the Gasket Ring. You will both feel and hear it when it reaches that point, it sorts of goes CLANG rather than THUD. (You’ll know).!
4. Do NOT drive the bearing with the bottom of the SOFT Aluminium forks against something hard, straddle the forks OVER something that comes up against the MIDDLE of the LOWER fork brace.

Outer Race Replacement:

OK, these are relatively easy.

1. Make sure the outer races have been in the FREEZER for a while. Place in a bucket of ICED water until you need them if your freezer is at the other end of the House.
2. Heat the Lower Frame at the Headstock around the Outer Race Location, Good and Hot.
3. Take the Race and drive it into the LOWER Frame THICK END FIRST. i.e. Thin end facing YOU. If you get it right (HOT & COLD), it should slip in. I used the thick end of the old race to drive it in but it got stuck and took a bit of hammering to get it out. Use a piece of pipe or something JUST smaller than the diameter of the thin end of the race, but not a drift unless it’s very BIG or it will damage the thin end of the race. Difficult, because the end of the race you drive is thin. It will also go clang when it’s in all the way and seated against the flange.

Jean #686 notes: To drive in both the lower and upper outer race I used a PVC pipe 1-1/2 in diameter and a foot long. I did not want to use anything that was made of steel because I did not want to damage the races. It took a lot of hammering but it went in (and the PVC pipe looks now like it's been chewed on by a Doberman).

I used the torch but also a can of air duster (I used this technique on the outer races also - removing and installing) for cooling - it was hard to get the lower race in because of the working position. I also used some duct tape and taped the old race to the new one, only on the inside of the race so the tape didn’t get stuck in there so I could focus on hitting it with the hammer. Spakur, Sweden.

4. The Upper Race is exactly the same, ALSO Thin End facing YOU. i.e. Thick end first. Drive from the Top.

I had the forks off anyway for Fork Seals, I put the lower triple tree in the freezer overnight which worked very well. The bearing was then heated up and slid down with relative ease. A short length of suitably sized steel tube was used as a slide hammer to drive it home. Pat#1214

That’s your Bearings replaced!
from faq.f650.com

I guess I got lucky. I just used a 3/8" metal rod and tapped evenly around the seats until they came out of the head. Getting the lower one off the steering stem was more difficult. I used a Dremel cutoff wheel to make a couple slices in it (careful not to hit the stem) and popped it up with a small chisel. No heat or cold involved (again, I was lucky I guess.) It probably would have been even easier if I had given them a shot of Kroil a day or two ahead of time. I used PVC to drive the new parts in place. Put some grease on them before installing and they go on fairly easily. Ed

650ed wrote:

I guess I got lucky. I just used a 3/8" metal rod and tapped evenly around the seats until they came out of the head. Getting the lower one off the steering stem was more difficult. I used a Dremel cutoff wheel to make a couple slices in it (careful not to hit the stem) and popped it up with a small chisel. No heat or cold involved (again, I was lucky I guess.) It probably would have been even easier if I had given them a shot of Kroil a day or two ahead of time. I used PVC to drive the new parts in place. Put some grease on them before installing and they go on fairly easily. Ed

There ya go! I always wondered how not todo daht. I thought edee was makin nuclear fission cookies for the kz club mems. First I was sweatin, then I was freezin, then along came the english language just strollin in all non chelont, "YEAH, I just banged on it a few times." (chewin gum and whistling dixie)and it came right out. On the other hand, "What the hell is that thing in the freezer"? Main line here do not try to rebuild your pogo stick. Whatdaya need son, screwdriver? NO. oxygen, heliumacetylineliquidsquidwalkinfreezer b.f.h. Aint gonna happen son. Not without ma's garden gloves and a metalergist. Just aint gonna happen.

I just did my 650 and they werent too bad. I used 2 flat screwdrivers and patiently pried the lower one off the headstock. The big outers popped out with a mallet and drift, but when they popped they actually split in half. I was wearing some goggles thankfully.

These Here are Da Bomb!

You expand it out till it grips the bearing and then just use a drift to drive them out together.

KZCSI

very cool tool.
aftermarket or kawasaki tool?

Sorry Dude it's a Honda tool.

KZCSI

But it will work on most any inner race, cup bearing.

thx ill get me one of those.

That tool does look like a good idea. I've never had problem just beating them out with a brass drift punch and a big hammer though. I told my story before of the last time where I swung that big hammer, a DARN big one, at full 100% power and missed the punch and perfectly hit my thumb against the frame. Ouch and look to see if the thumb is still there. Thankfully still a thumb covered in blood none the less so dangerous mechanics involved here.
One thing I'll mention is I could never really ever feel any difference in handling whether I had new tapered bearings or dry 100,000 mile dented ones myself and I found my new 2008 Honda Goldwing still uses crap loose ball bearings. When I mentioned this on the Goldwing forums the guys were pretty much in agreement that loose balls give a better feel for steering, better response, than tapered bearings and that's why even a 900lb modern touring bike still uses them. Don't know how true that is, but it may explain partly why the loose seem to work just as good as the tapered in my old KZs.