What is this? Commando 750

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https://www.oldbritts.com/oillines.html

What is this? Commando 750
 
those lines get brittle over time and will let loose and spew oil on yer leg at inopportune time if not replaced. better quality readily available.

and..... the triangular pieces above the engine are called the headsteady.
yours is from factory and is pretty much crap.
consider upgrading. there are many vendors of various improved designs.

no charge for getting you off and running in the direction of upgrades. :)
 
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Looks like the overhead line is routed incorrectly too.
Yes they get old and brittle and spew oil all over the place when they split open.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I might take pics of entire bike to get additional recommendations. She is a 68 commando and I want it to mirror the original but want to ride drive and enjoy it which means it does not have to be pristine cosmetically.
 
I haven't done this myself, but it's possible to eliminate the crossover tube. That's the one that is at most risk of being damaged as it rubs on parts of the headsteady.
To do this, remove the inlet rocker spindles and have the inner ends drilled so the oil can pass from one to the other. They're hardened, so it's a specialist job.
The oil then passes through the feed passages on the left side to lubricate the left side exhaust rocker. The unused feed hole on the left side can either be blanked off or used to operate an oil pressure gauge.
 
Doc, judging by that headsteady you have an early commando. That was the crapiest version of the norton head steady, which was just a flat plate bolted to the head. Mine developed a crack which grew until I replaced it with the later commando's "box style" headsteady. Then I replaced the box headsteady with one of Jim Comstock's rose joint style headsteady which I think is best since it transmits the least vibration to the frame.

Early bikes also have a different oil lines without the oil filter and a different shaped oil tank, so some parts of LAB's posted oil system picture will be different on your bike (but the head oil lines you asked about are the same)
 
That 68 probably had a metal oil line from the timing cover originally. My 69 did and the 69 Spares book shows the metal line. So already it's not original. I doubt if those metal lines are available any more, they crack and leak, just like mine did. Get some Nylon 11 or air brake hose and replace them. That was also the factory fix. Yes, the top one should go over the headsteady. There's a few articles on replacing those plastic lines on the forum. It's not hard.

That headsteady should be replaced too, lots of options, or at least kept an eye on regularly. It's not visible with the tank on. I had about 13K miles on my original headsteady with no problems. I replaced it with a home made heim joint type.

You should also read up on the widowmaker frame as per your other thread on the frame crack. But I think you've already decided on that.
 
Nice pick up on the head steady. I checked it, no cracks, but might as well upgrade that while I’m at it. The rubbers look old and cracked so it will be worth it.
 
For not much outlay, you can get a later type. They're similar, just beefier. But most seem to prefer a newer type. If it's just a casual rider, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Shoot, hobot used to ride without one.
 
My 10's of thousands of miles on the prototypes were without a head steady. I would have expected one to significantly mess up the "no vibration" feature that was so important.
 
frankdamp said:
My 10's of thousands of miles on the prototypes were without a head steady. I would have expected one to significantly mess up the "no vibration" feature that was so important.
Click to expand...
Good luck to you
Riding a widow maker with no head steady!!
 
sure sounds like a BS story as it would be an evel SOB letting the rear wheel twist all over the place from the vertical plane.

frankdamp said:
My 10's of thousands of miles on the prototypes were without a head steady. I would have expected one to significantly mess up the "no vibration" feature that was so important.
Click to expand...
 
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