All connections are in the grommets in the neck of the frame. Carefully pull them out and you have everything you need.

 

Thoroughly secure the bike.....removing 100lbs from the front has a significant impact on balance point...

 

Thank you both themouth and kingmoochr, those are both very good tips!

 

I'm guessing I need to take the tank off... Thanks again!

 

You can usually do this without taking the tank off. If you need more room, try taking out the front bolts and propping it up as far as you can without messing up the crossover line.

 

Pulling the tank is a good idea you won't damage it and you will need the room to disassemble the wiring harness. There is a plastic trap door behind the steering head on the bottom of the square tube, that allows the wiring bundle to be pulled out and unplugged at that point. Remove the rubber you grommets from the "windows" the wiring passes through on the sides of the frame behind the steering head, at this point you can remove all the wiring painlessly without risk of damaging the harness by yanking on it. At reassembly reverse the process.
Remove the front wheel and pull the fork legs, trying to remove it as an assembly will increase the odds of something BAD happening, its not a good idea.
Buy, beg, borrow or steal a copy of the factory manual and read the applicable sections. You will need a torque wrench in the correct ranges, blue threadlocker and good quality grease. Set out your tools before you start taking things apart, and verify you have everything you need to complete the task before you remove the first fastener. If you follow these steps things should go well, if things come off the track, ask more questions, help is as near as your keyboard.

Photo showing wire harness pulled through trap door opening.


: Mike

 

If you want to save the effort of removing the calipers and axle, but still replace both triples, you can do so if you wish. Make sure you lay a blanket or soft pad down to lay the front end on once you unbolt the steering stem from the frame. Be prepared to support the entire assembly and remember it will pivot at the axle. Leave the lower triple on, but remove the torque from the bolts first so you aren't strugling with them off the bike.

All you're saving is not unbolting the calipers and the axle, so if you haven't done that in a while, you might just be better off doing a complete disassembly so you can clean, inspect, and re-lube everything.

 

Thanks again guys, I'm sure I won't have any problems, I just like to get everything right in my head before I start so i won't have any surprises.

 

I've got a new top tree coming in the mail soon. Glad to see this thread popped back up just at the right time as I've been thinking exactly this. what a terrible move by the moco using these integrated top trees. such junk.