when to grease steering stem bearings?

[mark from maine]

I understand that it is neccessary to check steering stem bearings for proper torque(snugness?) at sceduled mantainence intervals, but when and how often should I lower the steering stem and clean off the old grease and reapply new grease. Is this ever required?

I ride a 90 K75RT. It has 84K miles. I have owned the bike for ten years and put 40K on. The bike stays in the garage except when out for a ride.

Thanks,
Mark from Maine

[PGlaves]

I understand that it is neccessary to check steering stem bearings for proper torque(snugness?) at sceduled mantainence intervals, but when and how often should I lower the steering stem and clean off the old grease and reapply new grease. Is this ever required?

I ride a 90 K75RT. It has 84K miles. I have owned the bike for ten years and put 40K on. The bike stays in the garage except when out for a ride.

Thanks,
Mark from Maine

I like to do it about every 5 years at the longest. The OEM stuff on the K bikes tends to harden and congeal. I found that if I did it once with a 3% moly grease, EP rated, it didn't harden and lasts a long time. If you keep them adjusted they will last forever, too.

I had 370K on the originals in my K75.

[mark from maine]

Paul,
Thank you so much for your reply. It was one of your MOA tech articles a while back that got me to thinking about it. I have learned a lot from your articles and others that have so generously shared their knowledge. It has saved me a lot of money over the years.

Thanks again,
Mark from Maine