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I already had my tank off when I did mine. But perhaps you could just loosen the front bolt a bit to allow it to pivot and remove the back bolt; then lift the back of the tank and block it with a 2x4 or something. You may have to disconnect the fuel line, but that doesn't require draining the tank.
Not sure if that would give you enough clearance, but just an idea.
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I replaced the throttle and idle cables on my Standard without taking off the tank. I just fed them through to the carb. Might be different if you have EFI.
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