Curious, not meaning to start a debate.

I am, seventeen years now with no oil filter, don't like the location and multiple sources of oil line leaks.

I do have a large tubular magnet suspended with safety wire attached through hole drilled in bottom of dipstick which collects
darkened oil and keeps the tank clean and free of sludge.

Anyone else also not convinced a filter set up is an absolute necessity?

highdesert wrote:Curious, not meaning to start a debate.

I am, seventeen years now with no oil filter, don't like the location and multiple sources of oil line leaks.

I do have a large tubular magnet suspended with safety wire attached through hole drilled in bottom dipstick which collects
darkened oil and keeps the tank quite clean.

Anyone else also not convinced a filter set up is an absolute necessity?

Nope.

I've got 13K original miles on mine without any filter, granted it has not run since the early 80's and I didn't even know that a filter was available. Who knows how much I changed the oil, I can't remember, but I know it was a real mess. I am not thrilled with the oil filter setup and am very ambivalent about putting one on although it is probably the best thing to do. Much like the breather tube, things have really changed and if you want longevity and lack of Exxon Valdez.....

Dave
69S

Don't really see an issue with the oil filter. May not be best location and sometimes a pain to change since it is a little flimsy but mine has never leaked or been damaged except when removing. Easy to disconnect from system and cut threads off if need be. No issue with pressure drop since flow capacity seems to be much, much greater than oil system flow

Have you EVER cleaned out an oil tank after years of running without one? if you have you WILL see a good reason to use one. No it is not ideal but a far cry better than not having one at all. JMHO

Yes, I have.

Twice in the past 17 years I took the oil tank off to clean it, and ended up simply flushing it out. There was no sludge, really very clean.

I believe the strong magnet in the tank takes care of that

My 1970 Commando never had an oil filter during it's 60,000 miles history with me prior to selling it.

maybe your magnet works but I will stick to an oil filter. remember clean oil is better than dirty oil

I ran 1950's bikes for years without either oil or air filters, never had a problem.

Here is where I have mine. Mounted where the magneto once was. I change the oil & filter every 1000 miles. Bike is going on 32,000 miles.

Yes,

But my Norton is not a Commando and I run it short distances. When I rode a Commando as everyday transport I used a large car filter and a much larger oil system.

travelerjerry wrote:Here is where I have mine. Mounted where the magneto once was. I change the oil & filter every 1000 miles. Bike is going on 32,000 miles.

Any chance you have more photos on how you mounted that?

The early Commandos and previous models of Nortons have a filter in the oil tank, a filter in the drain plug and the sludge trap to deal with solids and impurities. Obviously this system was deemed adequate by the factory and gave many owners thousands of miles of trouble free riding. However in a belt and braces type of philosophy I like to put an additional spin-on filter on all of my bikes - this also gives a slightly larger oil capacity which may help with cooling in a hot country. It is slightly more difficult to retro-fit this filter system on an early bike with central oil tank (S-Type and early Roadster) as the barbs on the oil feed/scavenge manifold are of a larger diameter than the standard oil filter hose inlet and outlet. These barbs can be removed with heat and brute ignorance, but they seem to be brazed in position and it takes some doing. It is also very difficult to drill the filter mounting holes in situ.

dave M wrote:The early Commandos and previous models of Nortons have a filter in the oil tank, a filter in the drain plug and the sludge trap to deal with solids and impurities. Obviously this system was deemed adequate by the factory and gave many owners thousands of miles of trouble free riding.

Although they did add the spin on filter in 73 to all bikes from then on. Screen filters don't get the small stuff and magnets only get some of the magnetic crap out. If you don't rack up that many miles or you change your oil a lot that's one thing but I like them. An once of prevention is equal to a pound of cure.

My 850 Mk I has the strainer in the oil tank, the screen filter in the sump, and the spin-on right behind the gearbox. Last time I changed my oil was about 7000 miles after resurrecting the bike, and I checked the two permanent filters - no noticeable dirt on either of them, and negligible ferrous deposits on the magnet drain plug. I think the permanent filters would do OK keeping sand-sized or larger stuff from circulating around the engine, which was probably good enough when these things were designed. Most British bikes didn't even run air filters until the '60s. I think the factory spin-on setup is fine, and I like the peace of mind the fine-filtering capability of the spin-on offers.

The spin-on filter I use is the K&N 153, which you can find at any bike shop or Cycle Gear in the US - it happens to be the same filter used on almost every Ducati twin. The advantage of this filter is the nut on the end - makes removal a breeze.

I also check my oil regularly, and change it when it starts to look 'dirty' - usually somewhere between 2000 and 2500 miles.

I run Valvoline VR-1 50W, which seems perfect for my bike here in the deep South.

No reason or need at all to run an oil filter.










Unless of course you like the bike and actually hope to keep it in good shape for a while.

My Eldo has no filter. Oil changes at 1000 miles, with Redline full syn at $10/quart.

Filters are gooooooooooooooooD!