Hi,

I am preparing to service teh front end of my bike. I intend to:
a. replace the tyre,
b. service spongy brakes,
c. service callipers (spongy brakes)
d. fork seals and
e. front bearings (not needed but..)

If i do the bearings ... is there anything tricky about removing and pressing the new ones in. I am contemplating the need for the blow torch to heat up the aluminum components before the bearings are pressed in etc.

Do i have to worry about this or should I just do it.

I replaced my bearings recently when I renewed the front tyre and did not need any blow torches or the like to do it. Just remove the wheel (you might need to remove the callipers, but reading the above you want to do that anyway). Take a punch and slowly tape the bearing out from the 'other' side with short equal taps. I used one of the old bearings to tap in the new ones.
Re Callipers, not everywhere mentioned, but they are fitted with 32 Nm to the bike and 30 Nm for the two halves for your bike. Get the Brembo service packages; they have the seals, new bolts and some cup grease, all there.

I also replaced my bearings recently and changed them exactly the way Renez describes with no problems, I have also heard of people using sockets [diameter of the bearings] to tap home the new ones.

BIG D

Hi Ned,
If you are doing the whole front end do consider doing the head bearings as well it would be a pain to find in a few thousand K that the head bearings really could do with being change especially with your big planned ride through the wilds of Asia. A really thorough service of the forks internals would be well worth doing as well as a very careful setting up of the forks. There is a quite detailed video on the net which is in three parts which whilst it applies to a K 75 it is useful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVWHfyG4jB4 parts 2 and 3 follow on in the series.

Regards,
K-BIKE