If you follow the Kaw manual (as the dealer did) you gotta remove the rear trunk, the chrome trim, the saddlebags, the saddlebag mounts and the muffler just to be able to get the rear axle out. All this took the dealer 2-3 hours, but they had already quoted me the standard 3/4 hours so that's all they charged me

When I did the job, I just removed the saddlebags (3 bolts each) and rear shocks (2 nuts each), propped the rear wheel up and pulled the axle out above the saddlebag mount. The right shock comes off easy, just remove the nuts and slide it sideways, the left side chrome trim needs to be loosened enough to pull it sideways to get the shock to clear the stud. Took me about ten minutes.
I did have the bike high enough to drop the wheel out the bottom, most lifts have a hinged rear section for doing this.
Garry