After a summer of road trips and riding, my Kawasaki GTR 1400 has now passed the 160,000 km mark. It’s been a loyal companion through thick and thin, but even the most reliable machine eventually needs attention. Before my Norway trip, I noticed a faint notch in the steering – a telltale sign of worn steering bearings. After the tour, several thousand more kilometers were added, until one Monday after work the bike’s behavior changed noticeably.
First signs of trouble
The bike felt unstable, especially during low-speed braking, when I could hear and feel a clear knock or click from the front end. I knew something was up. Replacing steering bearings is no small task – and something I had never done before. The closest I’ve come to anything similar was changing a bicycle fork as a kid.
Disassembly begins – hesitation turns to confidence
Although I was nervous to begin with, I decided to proceed slowly and methodically. The disassembly went surprisingly smoothly: as long as I double-checked each step and made sure everything necessary was removed, the front end came apart nicely.
Of course, a few challenges showed up. The lower bearing race was seized solid, and wouldn’t budge without a fight. Eventually, I had to heat the stem to loosen it – but unfortunately the bearing dust seal was damaged in the process.
Searching for a new seal
The work is now on hold while I hunt down a new seal to replace the damaged one. The project will continue as soon as I have the right part. Even though the bike isn’t back together yet, I’m feeling much more confident than I did at the start. I now know I can handle this job on my own – and I’m learning a lot in the process.
More to come!
Once the GTR is reassembled and back on the road, I’ll write a follow-up article with thoughts on how it rides with the new bearings – and how the whole process turned out. Stay tuned!
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