The owner's manual describes removing fuel tank and lines before the battery can be removed. Is this really necessary, can the battery be removed without disconnecting fuel lines?
You can just swing the tank out of the way without disconnecting anything. I put a stool next to the bike the same hight as the seat and set it on there.
In my, limited, experience: you need to loosen the breather line (in front of the gear pedal) and unhook the lambda wire (just above the 'Y' junction of the exhaust) from the clip under the tank. There are also a couple of tubes that clip to the bottom of the tank, on the right hand side that need to be released from the clip. The tank then pivots up from the back. I have a hook in the ceiling of my garage and run a strap through that and under the front of the tank and just let it hing from the back.
I have done it with a nearly full tank of petrol and had no issues.
Good luck
Thanx for advice. I charged the battery and it cranks fine again, so perhaps I can get more life out of the 5 yr old battery. But, my cobbled battery charger connection threw a little spark at the connector to the battery, (after re-charging) and now the connector shows no voltage. Everything else is fine. Is there a built in fuse in that battery tender line?
Yes, the battery charger pigtails usually have a fuse.