After sitting for 20 years, I put a K100RS 16V back into service and as expected I am having to take care of a few issues here and there.

The other night I came home from a ride and found oil dripping off the final drive. I pulled the pivot boot back; dry. With the rear wheel and disc off it is obvious that my Crown Seal has puked. 

I read MikeP's excellent "how to" on replacing the bearing and seal, but am wondering if I really need to pull the housing? I checked for play, and the bearing seems good. I have read of a few people using self-tapping screws to pull the seal out without removing the housing.

So what is the general wisdom: Pull the housing because it is the right thing to do, or just pull the seal and don't open a can of worms?

Thanks,
Trevor

Pulling the backing plate off is the easy thing to do. 8 bolts then remove the plate replace the seal and big O-ring and replace the plate. Should take 20 minutes and you can even leave it on the bike provided you have a good drip tray for the oil.
Using self taping screws is doing it the hard way.

Take a look at this video to see the process of opening/closing the paralever rear gearbox. As Rick says, it's fairly easy and straightforward.

Thanks for the info and video.

My local BMW parts store had the housing o-ring in stock for $8.....

I am fresh out of excuses to avoid pulling the housing apart.

When you  pull the seal out, check the cage of the bearing. Early signs of impending doom are missing rivets on the bearing cage. Otherwise as suggested just pop a new one back in.

Mike