Ok .... an update , just in case anybody has been losing sleep over it ! I have had the barrel and head re-done , and it was a joy to refit. The replacement ( new) oil tank arrived ,and looks fab .............however ,I am having a real difficult time trying to fit it. When i offer it up to the head-stock, the back end is off to one side by by about 10mm , and once i fitted it ( gentle persuasion from a certain rubber mallet) , the whole bike looks crooked. This is confirmed when I offer up the rear shock ( coil over unit) , and its off by the same amount. The rear end and the engine bottom end were undisturbed during the works . The head stock was left affixed to the front end , and wasn't touched since disassembly. Also the holes for fixing through the head-stock didn't line up through the headstock ( one side was slightly higher than the other )
I accept that I will have to remove the oil tank , and the front end , but is there something simple or silly that I have missed ....... please be kind, I am but a Comet rider
Any help or advice would be very much appreciated.