Oil pump strainer

How do I remove the strainer mesh from the oil pump to clean it? While the bike is off the road I thought that it would be a good idea to inspect it for bits of old gasket goo and the like. Just in case. The bike is an XJ750.

I have no intention to remove the pump itself; it shows no sign of problems.

I know I have to remove the sump to get to it, which the Haynes manual says I can do with the engine in the frame. Is the Haynes manual correct?

 

You can't, its sealed into pickup. Clean it with some spray cleaner and a tooth brush to get the gunk off.

 

At long last I have removed the sump. The strainer is nice and clean so I'm not going to faff with it. There were few deposits in the sump. This confirms my feeling that this is quite a low mileage engine; the bores, pistons, cams and valves are barely worn. I've only put in new rings because this engine has evidently stood in a damp place for some time and there's a little bit of corrosion damage in the bores. I also replaced some valve guides that were just out of limits. No other problems have arisen in the 15,000 to 20,000 miles I've done since I got the bike.