Oil feed tap.

[Worty]

Fellas!  I want to put an tap directly onto the oil tank feed so I can prevent wet sumping by turning it on and off (it empties the tank completely in a few days).  I believe the thread onto the tank is 1/4 BSP, which means the oil pipe is the same.  The plan is to screw the tap directly onto the tank, and the feed line onto the tap.  The main issues are how to make the connections oil tight, especially as there's a 'conical' end to the armoured pipe which goes into the tank connection.  I can use a combination of genius and rubber piping, but wanted to avoid over complicating the issue.  Happy to see other members' solutions if they have them.

Don't worry, I WILL take major precautions to switch the oil back on before riding.

This is what I was looking at.

https://www.pipeworksuppliers.co.uk/products/stainless-steel-316-bspp-mini-ball-valve-male-x-female-1?variant=39296699957411&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2021-04-14&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2a6wBhCVARIsABPeH1spu9a3vcghR3I6_NFnd5swY7GGhiI-99ubs-zImMG4IN7a4-dbLrgaAmZoEALw_wcB

[RichardL]

Attenion Berger. New work coming your way.

Hopefully kidding, but this is known risky business. Everyone here will tell you, "Don't leave it to your memory."

Richard L.

[limeyrob]

Why not get one of the ones that has a connection to the mag cutout so you can't forget it?

[Worty]

Don't worry guys, I KNOW I won't forget (famous last words, eh).

As Richard says, Bergs is on alert.   As for the maggie set up, it's a bit pricey (ok, not as much as a motor).

I have 'skills' when it comes to remembering important stuff, and I always use back up plans, so fret not my friends.

Anyhow, I'll take my chances and see what happens - any tips on the connections apart from the obvious. 👍👍👍

[berger]

worty you tight sod get your hand in your pocket and put an extra 35 £'s to your original tap and have no worries. on the other hand forget to turn it on and take it to rivet man.

[Worty]

"Hang on a minute lads, I've got a great idea."

Worty: "Bergs, I have a very, very, very cunning plan." Bergs: "Is it as cunning as a fox what used to be Professor of Cunning at Oxford University but has moved on and is now working for the U.N. at the High Commission of International Cunning Planning?"  Worty: "No, it's more cunning than that!"

Don't worry, I can assure you all that I won't forget the oil........................................DOH

[Joolstacho]

You could do worse than fitting a Velocette one (readily available) in the feed line. I believe this has been done before.

[Peter in Aus]

The biggest lie you can tell your self is, I WON'T FORGET THAT 

[Swarfcut]

  The Magneto Guys tap looks the obvious choice, but I can see Worty's dilemma when it comes to the money. A simple circuit with  a plunger type switch operated by the tap handle in the closed position is one way of doing it, but these lash ups are by no means fail safe.

  Note that many taps are not full bore, so check the open tap hole is no smaller than the bore of the feed pipe. Screwfix and the rest of them are a reasonable source for simple on/off fittings.

 Swarfy.

[Rex]

You could do worse than fitting a Velocette one (readily available) in the feed line. I believe this has been done before.

The Velo item is a nice sturdy component too and works fine on mine, but enough Velo owners change them out for manual taps so they aren't fit-and-forget either.
As the taps are only turned off when the bike is garaged again, why not just make up a sign to hang on the speedo or whatever?
Swarfy makes a good point though, the bore size of some of those taps (the oil supply not being pumped but by gravity) is relatively small compared to the pipe size.

[Topdad]

Baldrick  errrrm Worty  listen to your mates having nearly lost a motor to an automatic valve going wrong spend a bit of cash and get the right bit of kit. ( I hadn't checked the return to the tank after 3 mins I remembered  to see nothing coming back and I checked this religiously but that one day nearly cost me dearly )

[Worty]

I didn't want an automatic as I didn't want to trust something so important to a ball and spring bit of kit.  I get everyone's concerns, but I'm 'UBER' careful with this stuff.  This is from a bloke who does a pre-ride inpsection of everything, every time.  Chains, oil levels, tyres, various nuts and bolts, lights, fuel level, oil return (EVERY time I start it), etc.  I never just jump on and ride, not even on the Kwaka, I always do my pre-ride checks, even to the point of rotating the tyres to see if I have anything stuck in them - OCD I reckon!  I was stung by RM's debacle to the tune of mucho wonga, and always have that in mind too. . 

For the reminder, I'm attaching a piece of string from the fuel tap to the oil tap that runs over the seat.  It would take an imbecile not to think, 'hmm, I wonder which imbecile put a piece of string from the fuel tap to the oil tap, never mind, I'll ignore it'.  the item I'm getting has an advertised 7mm bore, which I believe will be enough (I measure my oil lines at around the same).  Will check anyway.  I was hoping to screw the tap and lines on without tails, so it'll mainly be the bore via the ball valve itself that I will have to double check.

Watch this space

[limeyrob]

The problem with memory is it only goes down so what ever your ability to remember is now it will be less next week.  To make matters worse the failure mode is laying down new memories not recalling old ones, so your recall of the work you did on the bike two years ago will be unchanged, but the recollection that you fitted a tap two months ago may fail.  Its why reminders fail.  You see lots of videos of old bikes with a note on the tank or bars "oil tap" and that works for a while, but one day you look at it and think, ""yes I must get one of those".  When you get to "who put that note there?" its time to stop.
I've just lapped the pump faces, re-seated the ball and fitted a new spring.  I've also tapped and fitted a drain in the sump plate and I've got a clean jar to drain the sump oil to put it back in the tank.  I'm hoping it doesn't wet sump, but if it does my plan is not to fit a valve.

[Worty]

The problem with memory is it only goes down so what ever your ability to remember is now it will be less next week.  To make matters worse the failure mode is laying down new memories not recalling old ones, so your recall of the work you did on the bike two years ago will be unchanged, but the recollection that you fitted a tap two months ago may fail.  Its why reminders fail.  You see lots of videos of old bikes with a note on the tank or bars "oil tap" and that works for a while, but one day you look at it and think, ""yes I must get one of those".  When you get to "who put that note there?" its time to stop.
I've just lapped the pump faces, re-seated the ball and fitted a new spring.  I've also tapped and fitted a drain in the sump plate and I've got a clean jar to drain the sump oil to put it back in the tank.  I'm hoping it doesn't wet sump, but if it does my plan is not to fit a valve.

Point taken Rob, but if my memory gets that bad, one day I'll forget to drain the oil from the sump, try to kick it up, experience hydraulic lock and possible blow the thing up anyway.  So far, I've never forgotten to drain the sump.  So, it's either the risk of forgetting the tap, or forgetting to drain the sump.  Either way, I've got a potential engine buster which is dependent on memory.  I honestly think that if I'm in the position of forgetting the tap, I'm not really safe to maintain the bike properly and shouldn't be on the road anyway.

[TimK]

My solution is a 'Remove Before Flight' flag that I put around the oil tap I've fitted every time I turn it off. If I'm out for the day on the bike I don't turn the tap off as it's not going to drain too much in a day, so the tap is only turned off if the bike is being left for a few days. The flag is a reminder to turn the tap on before the bike is wheeled out of the shed.