steering head bearings

[voyager]

Just to add to the earlier thread regarding greasing the swing arm bearings and adding the grease fitting to allow for easier maintenance. I had the dealer check the torque on my neck bearings ( under warranty ) because I was concerned they were too loose. I was told the torque on the adjusting nut was within specs. Now, I don't know if the tech tightened the nut too much while checking, but in about 1000 km I noticed a flat spot on the bearings while turning from lock to lock. So, back to the dealer where the bearings are being replaced under warranty and I told them to install the grease fitting for my ease of maintenance in the future. I suspect when they take the neck apart they will find inadequate grease on the bearings. Oh, I only have 17000 km on the bike now, so very early failure in my opinion. Regardless, my advice is add the grease fittings and do the modifications where you can to the neck and the swing arm.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

I will have to check with the service techs the next time I ride down to the dealer. Thanks for the heads up.

[bundyrumandcoke]

Been there, done that, steering head bearings adjusted at 12000km, replaced under warranty- after a considerable fight with Kawasaki Australia, at 24000km. They fell apart when removed. Inadaquate lubrication during initial assembly is almost a certainty. My writeup about the saga is on here somewhere, or maybe another Kawasaki forum.

Cheers
Bundy

[VulcanE]

I do all my own maintenance, and when I disassembled my steering column, I found the bottom bearing shot. Got a new set and installed per specs. (use race seaters to seat the new races at 90 ft lbs, then torque to 43 in lbs). I could take my hands off the bars while riding, and they would start vibrating. When checking further, I found that the 1500s and 1600s used the same bearings/races, but the 1500s torque to 35 ft lbs, and the 1600s torque to 43 in lbs. (I thought the 43 in lbs wasn't enough to draw everything together) so I re-torqued them to 25 ft lbs. EVERYTHING is as smooth as silk now. I also installed the grease zerk fitting in the steering neck.

[macmac]

Demand the bearings and races for the bearings when you go IN and make sure you get all 4 parts and the seals 6 parts when you leave.

i doubt they will clean trashed parts.. Oh crap they won;'t let you leep them, so demand to see them...

Look at the grease on them and ask to be shown the flaw(s) please...

Another thing to look for is degraded bearing marterail and the races might be too.

If you have passing lamps and even if you don't I am interested in if the wiring is going to ground thru the bearings which isn't very good. bearings make a poor connection at best and will errode if ground passes thru these with out a better path.

All bearings here will act like ground, but there needs to be a main ground wire elsewhere and I don't think there is. The one in the lamp bucket on my bike is attatched to the lamp holder just for that reason.. Using it creates a ground on the forks.

Whoa! the book has to be in error! I have the 1500 2000 year book and the 06 1600 book and no way is that 43 INCH POUNDS correct!

That works out to be 3.5833333 foot pounds! That can't be right!

The 1500 book says 14 foot pounds, and 25 might be ok... A tad snug maybe..

The inner nut should be pre-loaded (a bit too tight) then backed off to just a bit too loose, then re-snugged to no play, but free moving left to right , right to left with no ft wheel on the ground.. NO up and down play, and no pulling and pushing play for and aft or side to side either.

43 inch pounds is s SCREW UP, another in a long list of errors in the 1600 book.

Want another error in the 1600 book? Look at the pinion seal rear gear box blow up a while. You will find unlabled bearings and O rings not listed what so ever in there if you study the drawing.

At least 2 bearings and 2 O rings are not identified..

[rewindgy]

You are just another number in the file of Nomads with either no or almost no grease in the steering head bearings & swingarm! I sent a letter to Kawasaki and have not heard a peep out of them! And yes the damn book is wrong "again"! I tried the book setting with a torgue wrench and it was way wrong so I went back to my old tried method and low an behold the beast works good! Now I just got to change out the rear diff seal this winter as it is leaking due to the wrong oil level as per the Bible!!!