Steering stem bearing replacement tips

Hey guys, I am about to attempt to replace the steering stem bearings on my KZ650. Do you guys have any tips or tricks ? Is this task a real pain ?

depends on wether it has ball bearings still or has been coverted over to tapered bearings do you know which it has in it presently.

It is totally stock.

when you take it apart to replace the bearings take photo's or label the wiring and cables and hoses to make sure they are routed properly. get the front up in the air as high as you would need to remove the wheel then fly at it if the bearings are stock it is fairly straight forward to remove them.once you get that far we can talk you thru the rest of the way.keep your headlight bucket and wiring harness all together you can keep the forks and wheel assembly together if you get the front end high enough. try to remove as little as possible it just makes it easier to put it back together. if it has stock races they are easy to drive out.

Mmm.. I don't like the way this is sounding already.:ohmy:

it is a fairly straight forward job if you plan it out and take your time.

First, why are you replacing? Not trying to discourage, but tapered bearings do nothing to improve anything in my opinion. I've had 100,000 mile KZ650s with dry balls and several with new tapered. No difference to me personally.
But if you do replace all there is to it is removing the front forks, wheel and triple tree and you need a good drift punch and a big hammer to beat the races out of the frame. Not much race to get a bite on. Wire removal is not necessary or if so minimal, you can just lay the handlebars and headlight off to the side and secure with rope, wire, tape, whatever to hold them out of the way as you work. Reassemble and hopefully the bearing height is correct. There's been reports of after install the top triple clamp is too high and the headlight ears are no longer held tight between the triple tree as they were. I don't know if this is error in assembly or chinese bearings, but not worth $0.02 to install bearings that don't work. I did my KZ1000, H2 and 3 KZ650s with tapered and had no problem, but felt no improvement, so I'll just stay stock with dry balls anymore, works just the same for me.

It's not too bad a job, but first the big question: Do you have the Kawasaki factory manual for you model? This will help you step by step plus fork removal/replacement, fork oil replacement, steering adjustment, and it gives torque settings for all the critical fasteners. I did mine in the winter of 2007 and the results were great! Along with the manual and torque wrench(es) the other things you need are time and patience. If you plan to do it during the off season you can take your time and do it right. When I did mine I took plenty of time and replaced front wheel bearings, fork seals, bottom fork legs, and a bunch of other stuff so the front of my bike is basically new. Just be sure to get all the bits and pieces before you start. If you run into any problems / questions this site will help. Ed

timebombs right its not that difficult at all. Take your time ddrink a beer or four and get the front end as high as you can, I hung mine over the loading dock at work, worked awesome. much better with new bearings, your bike will take care of you if you do the same to her. you got it, good luck

Kawman wrote:

Hey guys, I am about to attempt to replace the steering stem bearings on my KZ650. Do you guys have any tips or tricks ? Is this task a real pain ?

Are you replacing with tapered bearings or do you just need to "repack" them? Rebuilding my bike after my accident, I had to replace the triple tree. The balls and races were bone dry so I just cleaned races and balls and installed with fresh grease. Works great! I suspended my front end from an "A" frame ladder and went to work. This pic will scare you but it's really no big deal.

When the steering is placed in the middle it sticks. And it is kind of difficult to drive straight when you are going really slow. It has always stuck in the middle. So what do I do. Do I replace with tapered bearings or what? Arent't the tapered bearings better than regular balls. I know how to work on every inch of my bike but the steering stem. I've never messed with it before. I've had the forks off to paint them and thats all.

tapered bearings work fine and they are probably cheaper than buying from kawi the original individual ball bearings. the manufacters have all gone to tapered bearings so there has to be a good reason.