R&R Commando MkII oil tank. Any advice?

My 1974 Commando has been in in-home storage since around 1980. It has a slight oil drip from the oil return line junction at the front of the oil filter bracket. The problem may require new oil lines or snugging up the jubilee clips securing the lines to the spigots on the bracket. In any event, I cannot do either unless I can remove the oil filter bracket and oil lines and I need to remove the oil tank to get this done.

I'm more than a little wary of just pulling off parts to remove the oil tank, knowing how remarkably easy it is to access the horn for service!

Any advice from those experienced in this will be (greatly) appreciated. I did use the "Search" function and drew a blank.

Thank you,
Ralph

Do NOT replace the bottom bolt, but do clean and epoxy the rubber buffer in place before re-installing the tank. Leaving that bolt in, only promotes eventually cracking the tank.

There shouldn't be any need to remove the oil tank to remove the filter.

Loosen the hose clip and disconnect the scavenge hose (the inner one) from the oil junction block at the engine and which passes through the gearbox opening in the cradle. Loosen the hose clip at the filter to oil tank scavenge pipe connection (the long one at the rear of the tank).

Remove the two filter housing mounting bolts (after bending back the securing tabs) and then remove the filter housing with the hoses attached.

I suggest you replace the hoses after this length of time. If you do, then attach them to the filter housing first, then reverse the procedure.

L.A.B. said:

There shouldn't be any need to remove the oil tank to remove the filter.

Loosen the hose clip and disconnect the scavenge hose (the inner one) from the oil junction block at the engine and which passes through the gearbox opening in the cradle. Loosen the hose clip at the filter to oil tank scavenge pipe connection (the long one at the rear of the tank).

Remove the two filter housing mounting bolts (after bending back the securing tabs) and then remove the filter housing with the hoses attached.

I suggest you replace the hoses after this length of time. If you do, then attach them to the filter housing first, then reverse the procedure.

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You made it sound so easy. Thank you. I will replace the hoses, but hate to replace with plain hose. I wanted the herringbone pattern ones, but no longer made.
Ralph

RalphG said:

but hate to replace with plain hose. I wanted the herringbone pattern ones, but no longer made

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I go out of my way to replace the hard/stiff lines with normal soft gas line. Just remember the engine is flexible mounted and hard stiff lines are NOT your friend as they transmit constant push-pull to the frame mounted tank. Big generoul loops will help to decouple the energy that makes so man oil tanks crack, break the little rubberrs or the mount tabs.
I just shake my head with dismay every time I see the braided aero quip lines. Think about it .... there is virtually NO pressure in either line.
Doing it this way for over 30 years on my bikes and all the commandos I work on.

I have just fitted an oil filter to my 750.
No need to remove the oil tank, but I did need to remove the rear mudguard, mostly because the previous owner had put the hose clip on facing the wrong way on the hose to the tank scavenge.

RalphG said:

You made it sound so easy. Thank you. I will replace the hoses, but hate to replace with plain hose. I wanted the herringbone pattern ones, but no longer made.
Ralph

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herringbone seems to be available from 1:Steadfast Cycles (USA), 2. Feked .com (UK) and others.

Pretty certain I dropped the filter with lines still attached without removing the oil tank by removing the 2 bolts on the cradle, I then took the lines off and replaced the rusty oil line protector and reassembled.

The latest Herringbone looks nothing like the original, its made on the same machine but the knowledge to operate it correctly has been lost. Black cloth covered hose looks more like original herringbone than the current attempt.

I have had the leaky bottom of the tank twice now, I now have the bottom hole flange ground off and a plate welded over and use a thick buffer glued under the tank plus larger top buffers.