How to remove the front forks

I need to remove the front forks to replace the oil seals on my 85 700maxim. My question involves the brake lines. Where is the easiest place to unhook them? How do I blead them when I'm done? Is there anything else I should be careful of when I do this?

 

Hey 700
I just did my forks last week and I simply and gently hung the calipers with haywire to a crossmember on the frame up higher near the head set.
As things turned out, I replaced the caliper piston seals anyway cuz they were sticking....I broke the brake line loose at the caliper . Be careful, there are crush washers on both sides of the bolt.
I bled the lines with the assistance of a vac. pump, but if you pump and bleed just like a car, it works fine. Keeping the fluid from dripping and spashing all over and keeping the resevior full are tricky parts when done by your self.
Good luck and check out the thread a day or two ago about the fork seals...Robert hit on some good hints and kinks.

Jeff

 

Thanks for the plug Jeff, I'll get you back. 700 Max, if you do it right, you shouldn't need to break the lines anyway. As Jeff pointed out, one should hang the freed calipers up out of the way and the front of the frame is handy. I use "S" hooks I made out of coat hangers but some copper wire from a spare piece of Romex (the 3 conductor wiring they use in modern home construction) about 10 to 12" should work, don't strip off the insulation, it will protect the paint. I would also recommend you look over an exploded view of your fork assembly so you don't miss any clips and end up trashing your fork tube trying to pull it out (there is a sad tale of this on our forum about 3 weeks ago). Best of luck to you.