82 kz305 Steering bearing question

Is it normal for the steering to have a detent in the straight on position. When riding very slow, you can feel popping in and out of the detent as you make turns.

It's only normal for severely worn bearing races. You need to replace the steering bearings.

Most people swap to roller bearings (rather than the original ball bearings). They are very affordable and will usually last the life of the bike if they are setup correctly initially. Look for a steering bearing kit by a company called "All Balls" specifically for your bike.

No, that certainly is not normal. It is proof that the steering stem bearing races are dimpled from the ball bearings and should be replaced. The originals are ball bearings, and the races are subject to the damage you describe. The original steering stem bearings on my 1977 KZ650 did exactly as you described after quite a few years. I did some research and rather than replace them with the original ball bearings I replaced them with tapered roller bearings that I bought from All-Balls. The All-Balls product includes bearings and the correct races. I installed mine myself; it was not particularly difficult. That was 13 years (16,000 miles) ago and the new bearings still work better than the originals ever did - and zero wear! The new tapered roller bearings are WAY better than the original ball bearings. Keep in mind that ball bearings basically have two small spots on each ball that contact the bearing races whereas tapered roller bearings have two stripes on each roller instead of just spots that contact the races. Consequently, unlike ball bearings the tapered roller bearings tend not to dimple the races. I would urge you buy tapered roller bearing from All-Balls (see link below); they really are far better than the original Kawasaki bearings. Ed

www.allballsracing.com/steering.html

+1

+2 Replace with roller bearings, I've had the same issue and fixed it with new roller bearings. It's not a difficult job and it's pretty hard to get it wrong, but it can take a little time to remove the front end.

I bought my roller bearings from Pyramid Parts, but I imagine there are several good suppliers out there.