Please help with 71 Commando yoke removal technique

Is the '72 Commando yoke assembly the same as the '71? The Andover diagram for the '71 is unclear, but the '72 diagram shows the upper yoke with the threaded 'rod' that ties the upper & lower together, solidly mounted to the yoke. It's the opposite configuration on my N15CS, where the bottom yoke carries the threaded rod.

So, after removing the big bottom nut and bendy washer, I need to bash things upward (after the usual penetrating oil and heat, right? I have manuals, but they aren't year-specific. If correct, would it be better to drive it from the bottom (with a wood block? Directly on the threaded rod, or with the big nut on there as is done for fork removal with the caps screwed in a bit?) Or smack directly under the top yoke?

Err, I figured it out. Upwards from the bottom with nut/block of wood a couple good smacks with a 4 lb soft hammer after heat & penetrating oil, then from under the top for the rest of the way.

Never had a problem removing yokes before now. I have what appears to be a 1973 850 frame that came with yokes still attached as part of a basket case I bought a few years ago that didn't want to budge. When I used exactly the technique described by @gpzkat above, it worked, but I had to use a lot of penetrating oil (PB Blaster), a lot of heat and a B F hammer to get things to move.
I noticed that the stem attached to the upper yoke is not stock. It appears to have had a 7/8" x 14tpi stud inserted in the end instead of just having the end of the tube threaded.


Has anyone seen something like this?

No.....the ones I have owned ,750 and 850 have the fine thread and thin nuts.

It could have had damaged threads and repaired with a stud either weld r d or threaded. Use as is or source used trees. 750 and mk1&2 850 are different and upper and lowers do not interchange different part and casting numbers.

Penetrating oil , soak , violence , smack out with heat gun . ( new head bearings ) - smacked out and new heat gunned to frame headstock frozen new bearings .
Enjoy .