Thursday, September 22, 2011

How do I prop up my 1999 Kawasaki ZX6R to change the steering bearings?

I have a car jack and two regular jack stands. Is it possible to do the job with these? What would I need if I can't? Where do I apply the jack? It seems like the oil pan is the only exposed surface of the engine besides the exhaust. Is the oil pan strong enough to support the bike?How do I prop up my 1999 Kawasaki ZX6R to change the steering bearings?I believe that 'Bike' is correct, since you will have to leave the back wheel on the ground, make sure you leave the bike IN GEAR, and be sure to chock it. If you have a rental shop around, I might suggest renting a bike lift myself. Even then you will have to support the back wheel, because the balance point of the bike will change as you remove and replace parts on the front end.

Either way, make sure you have at least one other person with you, if something goes whacked when your lifting or adjusting the jack stands, you will need someone to help keep your machine from hitting the concrete, which by the way, I hope is the surface you plan on working on.

On the oil pan, yes it SHOULD hold, if you are talking about a car jack like the pit crews use, make sure you put a flat(3/8s) piece of plywood, say 4 inches square on it to distribute the load over a bigger surface. I use a bike jack, on my HD Ultra and because of the rails I have to use the oil pan, but the rails are 4 inches wide and some 24 inches long.How do I prop up my 1999 Kawasaki ZX6R to change the steering bearings?The oil pan should be strong enough. If you're concerned, lift where a bolt head shows because it means there's something behind it. Two jack stands with a board between them should support the bike well enough.How do I prop up my 1999 Kawasaki ZX6R to change the steering bearings?A simple car jack with a protective piece of plywood across it will be strong enough to hold it upright. It is better if you have a center stand since you can then prop the center stand up on something else and that will lift the bike off the ground. However you lift it up, make sure you do a really good job of stopping if from moving around on the kick stand or on the jack so it won'[t fall later while you are working on it. I lifted my bike this way to take off the forks and change the fork seals. It works pretty easy, but it took two people to make sure the bike got lifted and secured properly first.How do I prop up my 1999 Kawasaki ZX6R to change the steering bearings?Put the bike on the center stand and a friend on the back seat to raise the front wheel. I don't think a jack stand will fit but an old milk carton will or wood blocks, just enuff to keep the wheel in the air.How do I prop up my 1999 Kawasaki ZX6R to change the steering bearings?I agree with both. Make sure when you are doing this have the bike in gear and maybe even have something wedged in with the rear tire to be an extra support to keep it from moving, sometimes even the slightest move can cause trouble... especially where you are in relation to the bike. The oil pan should hold. Two jack stands with a board/beam between them should support the bike just fine. If you know what you are doing you should be ok, but if you are unsure or just want assistance I would go with having a buddy around.