Finished installing the front wheel with new tire. Easy job. I did get more blue Loctite just to ensure I had enough since my old tube was getting low but I didn't need to open the new one... yet.
The service manual does not give the specific order of what bolt to torque first, then second, etc. But it's not hard to use common sense.
Removal is to first take off the front fender, which I do recommend to make it easier. Then remove the speed sensor. Then remove both brake calipers. I cut a standard paint stir stick in half and stick that in between the pads to prevent accidentally extending the caliper pistons too far since the brake disc is not between them. I hold the stick in there with a rubber band on each caliper. Then I use a short bungee cord to hang the calipers to take the strain off the brake hoses. Then remove the axle bolt on the right side with a 24 mm socket. Then loosen the pinch bolts with a 6mm Allen bit. Then support the front wheel off the ground. Then pull the axle out the left side using the 20 mm hex bit to assist by twisting the axle as it is pulled out. Then the wheel can be rolled out from between the forks making sure to catch the spacers on each side of the wheel. Basically just what the service manual pages I linked to above say to do.
Install is ALMOST the reverse. I put a bit of high speed grease on the bearings and on the inner edges of the spacers as well as a thin coat of grease on the axle. Then put the spacers in place on each side of the wheel. Then hold the wheel in place as the axle is slid back in. This is where the common sense comes in. If I truly followed the reverse of the removal steps I'd torque the pinch bolts at this point and THEN torque the axle bolt on the right side. BUT, what if the axle is not fully/completely pushed in and the pinch bolts are holding the axle from fully being pulled in all the way when putting torque on the axle bolt. Therefor, I snug the pinch bolts, just snug and not torqued. Then I torque the axle bolt on the right side with blue Loctite on the threads. It is at this point that the 20 mm hex bit is needed to hold the left end of the axle in order to torque the axle bolt on the right end. THEN I torque the pinch bolts to proper torque. So now I know the axle is seated all the way properly. This time I did use the spark plug bit in the bike tool kit since the outer size of that is 20 mm. But I would feel much better using a real 20 mm hex bit which is expected to arrive in about a week.
After this the brake calipers are put back on using Loctite on the caliper mounting bolts. Then the speed sensor and after that the front fender.
All that is left to do is to pump the forks a few times and pump the front brakes a few times and then go for a short check ride to verify everything works normally.
There. Now you don't need to read the service manual pages... other than to get the actual torque values. I noted that torque values were given as a range so I tried to go for the middle of that range. Don't want to over torque anything but also don't want to under torque those important bolts.
