KZ1000J wheel bearings

I have a front wheel from a 1981 KZ1000J and a rear wheel from a 1981 KZ1000K (both are mags). First off, can anyone confirm that the bearings between both models are interchangeable? Looking at parts online, they appear to be.

Second, are there any recommended replacement brands? I see "All Balls" brand listed a lot on Amazon. Are there any brands and/or styles of bearings I should try to get or avoid completely?

And third, any tricks to tapping out the old bearings, or is it ok to just use a chunk of steel rod and tap them out from the opposite sides?

The Kaw dealer removed the tires a couple weeks ago and informed me the old bearings were shot. Definitely not something to fool around with, and the wheels are coming apart for powder-coating anyway. This will be just a general street and highway bike -- the most stress it will see is riding in the mountains. I just want to make sure and get replacements that will be reliable.

According to Kawasaki.com the 1981 KZ1000 J1 and K1 use the same part numbers for corresponding bearings on the front and rear wheels. I use SKF bearings if the original bearing isn't available and they work just fine, but in your case it looks like all the bearings are still "Active" parts, so unless there's a big price difference I would recommend just getting the stock parts. Partzilla lists the 2 fronts at $10.74 each, the 2 rears at $14.23 each, and the one for the rear coupling assembly at $13.08.

I drove mine out as you described, but just tap gently alternating where you place the drift all the way around. Be sure to remove the circlips, and if the bearing seems stubborn it wouldn't hurt to soak the outer race/wheel mating surface with Kroil for a day or two. Ed

Ah good deal, thanks for the quick info! I'll see if I can get them tapped out tomorrow, then just order new bearings from the dealer. I always have to wonder, especially with something this old, if there hasn't been a better replacement made, so I figured I would check.

Take a look at ceramic bearings, IIRC around $300 for both wheels, really low rolling resistance.

In addition to the bearings you might want to go ahead & order the oil seals. At the front there's one for the speedo drive (which is probably overdue for a cleaning & lubrication. easy).

The All-Balls-Racing wheel bearing kits include the seals. I probably wouldn't have serviced the speedo drive if the seals weren't included. :blush: .... I can't speak for their bearing quality, but they seemed good to me

Distance collar/spacer w flange. Before knocking out the bearings, take a look at the diagrams for the wheels (Kawasaki.com or Partzilla or the service manual). On each wheel there is a spacer that has a flange press fit onto it that keeps one side of the collar centered. It's best to knock out the bearing opposite from the flange end - I think the right side bearings. Otherwise, you may inadvertently ruin the flange.

Bearing installation. When installing the bearings, you have to be careful which side you do first. The flanged collars may only go in one way. I applied wheel bearing grease to the wheel & bearing so that the bearings press in easier & I used a bearing driver set from SummitRacing. Some say to put the bearings in the freezer &/or heat the wheel, but I just used grease & they went in easy (the Kaw manual suggests using grease).

@steell: Ouch! If I had that kind of money I could really do this bike up right, but sadly I don't. I'm still dreading the cost of the powder-coating.

@martin: Good info, thanks for the tips. I have a can of full synthetic wheel grease I use on my truck, I assume there would be no problems also using that on the bike bearings?

Shdwdrgn wrote: ........
@martin: Good info, thanks for the tips. I have a can of full synthetic wheel grease I use on my truck, I assume there would be no problems also using that on the bike bearings?

As Martin posted, applying a light coating of grease to the joint where the outer race and wheel contact each other is fine and your wheel bearing grease is fine for that.

BUT - Do not add your grease to the working part of the bearings where the balls are. Different greases do not play well together and should never be mixed as that can reduce their lubricity. The only way you are able to safely add grease to the bearing is if you know for sure you are adding the exact same grease that is already there, and nobody knows for sure what the bearing manufacturers use since they may change from time to time. Otherwise, if you ever need to re-grease wheel bearings you must first flush all the old grease from the bearing, dry it without spinning it, and then grease it well. This is not particularly easy to do on Kawasaki bearings because they are fitted tightly in the wheel. If you buy sealed bearings (normally these will have a "ZZ" suffix) you won't need to re-grease them.

One other note, NEVER tap on the inner race when installing bearings as this will damage them. Tap on the outer race only. Ed