throw-out bearing

With the clutch out of the way how hard should it be to move the linkage and throw-out bearing? Should there be a strong resitance or should it move freely?

It should move very freely. If not, the fork may be damaged or shaft bent. I've found that the forks last about as long as the clutch, sometimes less:

http://72.19.213.157/files/ClutchFork.jpg