Rocker Support Architecture

🚧 Under development.

This paper studies one-piece rocker supports for BMW two-valve Airheads as a mechanical-constraint and serviceability problem rather than as a performance modification.

The work examines rocker-shaft alignment, axial endplay, shim control, the original BMW needle-bearing architecture, plain-bearing alternatives, and the practical geometry involved in replacing independent rocker blocks with rigid one-piece supports.

The first implementation will be carried out on the 1983 BMW R80ST, followed by the 1993 BMW R100R. The study will document installation geometry, bearing and shaft inspection, shim selection, final endplay, and a simple before-and-after acoustic survey intended to answer a practical question: is the change large enough to be noticeable to the rider?

The paper also records practitioner input where it materially shaped the work, including installation guidance from Rick at Boxerbasis and field inspection cautions from Duncan.

Status