U-Joint / Propeller Shaft Maintenance for KZ1100 Shaft

Good Morning from So Cal!
My service manual says the u-joint has no provision for maintenance or lubrication. As I look at the joint I can see some circlips on the u-joint pivot bearings.

Has anyone ever taken apart the u-joint to lubricate it? Any pictures or tutorials?

In the pictures I am pointing to the circlip with a toothpick'

Without the right tools and knowledge it´s difficult to disassemble the cross joint. Leave it as it is, the needle bearings had a life time amount of lubricaton. It´s possible, yes but difficult!!!

Thanks Scirocco for your answer. I agree with your assessment. Unless your u-joint is binding or too loose it is better to leave it alone. "If it ain't broke don't fix it!"
But alas I read your answer too late. IT IS POSSIBLE TO TAKE THE U-JOINT APART AND RELUBE IT:
The circlips can be removed. I used 2 small screwdrivers to pry the circlip up and a larger one to wedge in the gap once half way out (BEWARE! the clip will shoot out and end up who knows where. Don't ask me how I know;-))
I numbered everything to be sure it reassembled exactly as taken apart. One set of needle bearing caps came out easily. The other set had to be pressed out by the trusty clamp you see in the pic. It did not take much torque on the clamp to loosen the caps,
Caution!: Keep close track of the needle bearings. There are 23 per fitting. Clear the area and carefully extract and clean them. When I put together one cap I was missing a needle bearing. After much searching all around I found it in my tub of grease by using a strong magnet...Lucky me!

Good for you on taking it apart. Now for the million dollar question, could a zerk fitting be installed in a point on the u-joint yoke so you could grease it in the future? Obviously it would require drilling and tapping the hole for the zerk fitting but it might be worth the trouble in the long run.

Rick H.

Hi Rick H. Yes. I believe you could install a zerk fitting in the forward facing portion of the yoke as long as the zerk was not too tall.

You could add a Zerk fitting on the forward portion of the yoke.

Before adding the zerk fitting it would be necessary to drill completely through the yoke in the direction of both red arrows. Then you could add the zerk in the center of the yoke at the green arrow tapping into the holes you drilled previousty at the red arrows. Better have a drill press and some sharp drills for this one!

All in all I can say that I am glad that I went to the trouble to disassemble and relube the u-joint. One set of bearings was not rotating at the needle bearings but inside the yoke at the cap.
Now both sets of bearings are rotating at the needle bearing like they should.
Even though my 1981 KZ1100-A1 shaft has relatively low mileage, 22,200, it is still 39 years old.
Ride Safe guys and gals,
ScottZ