Quick Question, can I remove my upper yoke with out putting the front wheel up on a stand? The only stand I have is the one that rest under the front fork tubes. I just dont want the tubes to tweak or get out of line when I take the old stem head off. Im replcaing it because the previous owner used what must have been a giant set of janitor keys, as now the head is scratched all to hell. Thanks for any input.

- Night

Yes, you can remove the upper triple clamp without putting the front wheel on a stand. Be sure and follow the Service Manual torque settings and procedure when putting everything back together.

While you have it apart, it would also be a good time to inspect/grease the upper head bearing, inspect the plastic dust seal, and re-torque the double locking stem nut.

And be careful when re-installing the upper triple clamp to not damage the plastic dust shield.