Alternatively, I remove the fork tubes and do it on a bench. With only 30k miles on the bike I'm not yet looking to do a full rebuild of the forks and want to avoid creating new problems.
. . . I'm worried this will be difficult . . .
As has been indicated by TMG, laying out the parts in assembly order for each fork tube is important. I disagree with avoiding disassembly. Clean assemblies with parts in good condition are essential for a safe and reasonably comfortable ride. Disassembly is the way to inspect and clean them. As with most mechanical work, orderliness and patience are essential.
The left/right orientation of tubes is determined by their contents according to drawings supplied by Clymer and the BMW service manual downloadable from this site. The Showa tubes have identical left and right contents. If the tubes' contents don't square up with any drawing then decisions must be made. It's possible the tubes and their contents aren't original and have been modified, substituted or just sloppily reassembled. As TMG's hyperbole has indicated, variation possibilities are infinite.
I disassemble and reassemble one fork tube at a time so parts will not be intermingled from one tube to the other. My preference is to remove one tube from the fork brace, disassemble, clean and/or replace parts, reassemble it using a vise with soft jaws, replace it into the braces then work on the other tube. Once the assembly has been restored to good condition, draining and replacing fork fluid at regular intervals should be all that's needed for tens of thousands of miles.
Protecting the fork tube and seal from grit is recommended to preserve the fork seal. I installed fork gaiters on the tubes when I replaced leaking seals. There are several other effective devices and techniques for protecting the seal.
New procedures are often difficult until understanding of operation is present. Most of us pass through this stage as we learn. We just follow instructions to the extent we can and move forward. Introduction of
new problems can be avoided by not doing anything. That lets the
old problems take you down eventually.
