Before draining the fork oil, fashion some sort of a vertical shield to stop it from squirting across the shop.
If you take the weight off the front end, there's no pressure and it will just trickle out. Speaking of taking some weight off, I got my '71 started on Monday for the first time this year after extensive R&Ring lots of parts like new brakes, shocks, tires. swing arm bushings, chain, tune up parts seat foam, pet cock gaskets and cam seals, rebuilding the exhaust, just to name a few. It hasn't been used since the early 90's. So, now, I have to drive it to the shop, for more work that I'm not going to tackle, myself. I went to motor vehicles to get QQ plates. That particular place said they don't do QQ plates, and gave me a list of MV agencies in the great state of New Jersey that does, with required proof. So, I go home take some pictures, trace the serial number ( because the title predates their computer system and spits it out, saying this bike has no serial number which is plain as day on the original title.) Then I head out to the closest on the list, 60 miles away, just west of Asbury Park in Eatontown. The first agency in Oakland was 20 miles away. Eatontown tells me they only do QQ plates for autos, although the info flyer I received from Oakland said QQ plates for "motor vehicles". The only way to get an application is by mail from Trenton for bikes. Then I said I to myself, "I have to get this bike to the shop before the snow flies and I could drive the hundred miles to Trenton before anyone picks up the phone." I said I'll register the normal way and use my original plate. (The advantage of QQ plates is you only have to register one time, cutting out the annual fees and insurance is cheaper.) The nice lady from motor vehicles says, "OK, but you have to pay a penalty of four years registration fees to reregister, $260.00 and it's only good until March, 2020.", due to the fact that I never turned in my licence plate, even though no one ever notified me to do so, (like they do now). Annual registration is $55.00, now. Last time I registered the bike, it was $12.50. And, yesterday I paid $230.00 for one year of classic insurance from Haggerty, which will rise after I call them tomorrow to tell them I have a standard registration...
That's not all. Clutch parts are unavailable, but Mike's sells a clutch kit which says the fitment for parts is not for this bike, but the plates are the correct height with the correct tangs, (cogs), but the fiber plates are too thick, requiring removal of "O"ring spacers from old set up and using one extra plate. The metal plates are correct in the kit, so is the right side engine gasket in the kit and oil filter gasket and clutch hub nut spring washer which is out of stock if you want to purchase separately, but the clutch springs included are not the right ones, but are available, separately. Even if the parts were available, to buy them separately will cost you three to four times the price of a kit which gives you parts you cant use. If, after hearing this, you decide to get an electric Harley, LIve Wire, you can forget about that, too as it was announced, yesterday, production was halted due technical difficulties related to, I believe, a design flaw...