C OVER STORY   Valv e Ge ar

The New BMW Motorrad

Boxer Engine with
ShiftCam Technology
BMW Motorrad has redesigned its R1200 boxer drive unit for
the model year 2019. The new ShiftCam technology, a system
on the intake side developed specifically for motorcycles,
and a moderate displacement increase, have considerably
advanced the drive unit.

© BMW Motorrad

32
 AUTHORS REVIEW AND DEVELOPMENT GOALS REDESIGN OF THE BASIC ENGINE

The boxer engine is synonymous with The basic engine was redesigned with
the BMW Motorrad brand like no other the aim of enhanced driving dynamics
drive unit. The company introduced and smoother running behavior. To
the R32 as its first motorcycle in 1923. achieve this goal, the displacement
This was the first model to feature a was moderately increased and, in addi-
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karl Viktor Schaller boxer engine with a crankshaft posi- tion, the entire cylinder head along
is Head of Development at BMW tioned in the direction of travel. Some with its components was revamped.
Motorrad in Munich (Germany). 60 years later, the R80 G/S founded This involved integrating a variabil-
an entire vehicle category – the large ity function on the intake side of the
long-distance Enduro. valve train.
The most important milestones in The displacement was increased from
the BMW boxer engine’s more recent 1170 to 1254 cm3 by extending the stroke
history were the development leap from 73 to 76 mm and enlarging the bore
from the earlier generation of twin- from 101 to 102.5 mm. The entire crank-
Dipl.-Ing. (TU) Hubert Graf valve engines to the four-valve boxer shaft drive, differential pinion and iner-
is Head of Powertrain Deve­l­
opment at BMW Motorrad
in 1993, and also the transition to the tia mass were adapted in line with the
in Munich (Germany). water-cooled boxer engine with vertical new framework conditions. In addition,
gas exchange in 2013, FIGURE 1 [1]. At the casting tool for crankcase production
every stage, power and torque were was reduced in complexity to improve
conti­n­uously increased and, in order production stability and quality.
to comply with increasingly stricter The timing drive was also redesigned.
legal requirements, the drive unit’s The 8-mm pitch sleeve chain used to
emission behavior was improved. date is being replaced by a latest genera-
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Stefan Kallich, M. Sc. It was in this tradition that the tion 6.35-mm pitch toothed chain. Large
is Head of Powertrain Projects following goals and characteristics of angles of contact of the sprockets with
at BMW Motorrad in Munich the new boxer engine were defined: high numbers of teeth, coupled with the
(Germany).
–– improved power and torque, chain tensioning system, optimize wear
the focus being on increasing and thereby guarantee stable valve tim-
torque at low revs ings throughout the service life. Further-
–– smoother running and more more, the acoustic behavior improves.
combustion stability, as well The oil/water circuit has been large­‑
as improved handling concern- ly carried over; the tougher thermal
ing modulation and control demands on the pistons are met by using
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Stefan Ritter –– optimization of mechanical noises, piston spray nozzles. The displacement
is Head of Basic Engine Deve­l­
opment at BMW Motorrad –– even lower consumption, despite of the oil pump was adjusted in line with
in Munich (Germany). the higher power/torque this increased demand.
–– preparation for compliance with A variable oil intake as used in motor-
future legal requirements from sport applications was realized by means
2020 on, concerning emission behav- of a sliding piston, FIGURE 2. This ensures
ior and on-board diagnostics. a continuous oil supply even in extreme

FIGURE 1 The development of BMW Motorrad boxer engines over the past 25 years (© BMW Motorrad)

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C OVER STORY   Valv e Ge ar

FIGURE 2 Variable oil intake (© BMW Motorrad) for the optimum concept culmi-
nated in a shift cam system, which
allowed two different cam profiles to
feature in one engine. The system
could be integrated into the existing
cylinder head while maintaining its
highly compact dimensions, FIGURE 3.
For the use in motorcycles, especially
those driven by a boxer engine, this is a
great advantage as there is no negative
impact on the visual appearance or the
banking angle.
The system is controlled by an
actuator at the end of the inlet cam-
shaft. The existing camshaft drive
with an auxiliary transmission ensures
that the entire one-piece cam shaft is
displaced within the camshaft bear-
ings during the shifting operation.
This solution is extremely rigid and
withstands very high revolutions
since no additional toothing in the
camshaft is required. The actuator
consists of two separate guide pins
that can be controlled independently
of one another. The cams shift when
the pins enter the corresponding slotted
link on the camshaft, a process that is
precisely timed by the engine control
driving conditions. Depending on the CYLINDER HEAD AND VALVE unit. As the camshaft rotates, the pin
acceleration situation, the inertial force TRAIN WITH BMW SHIFTCAM transmits an axial force at the edge
moves the displaceable piston either for- of the slot and this moves the shaft.
ward or backward. This ensures that The cylinder head, derived from the Disengagement of the pin is performed
oil intake always occurs in the area of basic concept of the water-cooled by the geometry of the slotted link. In
the oil sump where the oil is currently boxer engines introduced in 2012, FIGURE 3, the left pin is used to shift the
located, which likewise shifts depending was expanded by a variability func- camshaft to the right, the right pin
on inertia of mass. tion in the valve train. The search shifts the camshaft to the left. In the

FIGURE 3 Integration of the shift

cam system into the cylinder head
(© BMW Motorrad)

34
boxer engine, each cylinder head has
its own shift system.
The ShiftCam system is computa­t io­
nally and metrologically optimized
in order to enable shifting processes
up to a maximum engine speed of
6500 rpm. This means a signi­ficant
increase in the maximum shifting 
speed over applications known from
the passenger car sector. The slotted
link contour at its beginning area is
executed with a ramp which compen-
sates tolerances that oc­­cur in series
production in order to en­sure reliable
engagement of actuator pin. Also at
end of slotted link is a special fail-
safe ramp that prevents unintentio­ FIGURE 4 Valve stroke curves of the ShiftCam system (© BMW Motorrad)
nal engagement and damage to the
contour as the engine rotates back.
The shift camshaft is fixed in
the two end positions by a locking MODE OF OPERATION shorter than those of the predecessor,
mechanism with a spring-loaded and thus the maximum valve accelera-
pin and a two-row ball bearing The ShiftCam system solves the conflict tion could be increased significantly.
with special external contour. To of objectives between an optimized gas The valve stroke is shorter on idling and
ensure mechanical durability, the exchange process at full load and the at part load. The early intake valve clos-
ShiftCam system was exposed to need for combustion stability, low engine ing reduces the losses occurring during
extreme conditions during compo- raw emissions and low consumption the gas exchange and the shorter
nent tests, dummy tests, tests on values in the part load range. FIGURE 4 valve overlap minimizes the residual
the engine test bench and vehicle shows the valve stroke profiles for the gas content. Moreover, the maximum
endurance tests. It is designed for two configurations and the valve stroke valve stroke and the times at which
lifelong durability, which means profiles of the previous R1200 drive unit. the two intake valves close differ. This
that durability for at least one mil- The full load configuration is designed phasing improves the charge motion
lion shifting cycles is assured. This for maximum power and torque and is and the fuel mixture generation [2, 3].
is equi­valent to an expected overall defined essentially by the maximum According to the operating strategy
system runtime of 100,000 km with a valve stroke, the closing and opening shown in FIGURE 5, the engine charac­
frequency of approximtely ten actua- of the intake valve and the valve over- teristic map is divided into two ranges.
tions per km. lap. The control times were kept even The part load cam is used at speeds be­­

FIGURE 5 Operating strategy of the ShiftCam system

(© BMW Motorrad)

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C OVER STORY   Valv e Ge ar

FIGURE 6 Comparison of valve train friction between part load and full load cam (© BMW Motorrad)

low 5000 rpm from idling/coasting up to the rider was considered the touch- lower octane rating and guarantees the
to approximately the mid-load range. stone for the feasibility of a shift cam- engine’s fuel compatibility worldwide.
At higher speed and loads, especially shaft in a series production project.
full load, the gas exchange is controlled Neither a noticeable delay nor a surge
POWER, TORQUE AND DRIVING
on the intake side via the full load cam. in the engine torque development are
PERFORMANCE
Thanks to the rigid ShiftCam camshaft acceptable here. The low power-to-
with three-point bearing assembly, the weight ratio and reduced inertia of a The increased displacement, the remod-
high-quality valve double springs as well motorcycle compared to a passenger eling of the full load control times and
as new, lighter and amorphous Diamond- car are particular challenges for func- other detail optimizations of the intake
like Carbon (DLC)-coated cam followers, tion development and application. and exhaust ports and the valve seat
an excellent dynamic valve train behav- The growing number of torque geometry are achieving a significant
ior with fuller valve stroke curves could requirements ensuing from the overall increase in power and, above all, torque,
be achieved. The part load cam also vehicle, such as those due to slip control FIGURE 7. The torque has been increased
causes less valve train friction than intervention, cruise control function, uniformly across the entire speed range.
the full load design, FIGURE 6 [4]. hill start aid and shift assistant also led With a displacement increase of 7 %, the
Just like the predecessor engine, to the transition from an alpha/n-based increase in power of 9 % and in maxi-
the new boxer engine has a wear opti- (throttle valve angle/speed) to a torque- mum torque of 15 % is disproportion-
mized valve/seat ring combination. based engine control structure. An adap- ately high.
Compared to the predecessor model, tive knock control with one sensor per This torque increase results in a sig-
the seat ring angle has been optimized cylinder allows the use of fuel with a nificantly increased acceleration poten-
for the benefit of the gas exchange.
The tried-and-true intermittent lubri­
cation in the contact area between
cams and the sliding surfaces of the – R1200 R1250
cam followers ensures lower oil require- Displacement [cm3] 1170 1254
ment, adequate cooling and lubrication
Bore/stroke [mm] 101/73 102.5/76
of the two friction parts. An overview
of the most important engine charac­ Compression ratio [-] 12.5 : 1 12.5 : 1

teristic map data compared to the pre­ Max. torque [Nm] 125 143
decessor is shown in TABLE 1 [5]. Max. power [kW] 92 100

Max. engine speed [rpm] 9000 9000

ENGINE CONTROL
Intake camshaft Conventional ShiftCam
Even in the first roadworthy prototype, Injector Single cone Dual cone TABLE 1 Comparison of
achieving a shift from part load to full R1200 and R1250 engine data
Catalytic converter L/D [mm] 106/75.5 106/5
load cam setting that was imperceptible (© BMW Motorrad)

36
 up to 15 %. At constant driving speed,
the consumption advantages are approxi-
mately 10 % at 70 km/h and 4.5 %
at 120 km/h. Measured in the World
Motorcycle Test Cycle(WMTC), this
creates a consumption advantage over
the predecessor model of 4.5 %.
Similarly, the thermodynamic advan-
tages positively impact the combustion
stochastic and, hence, the smooth run-
ning of the engine that is perceptible to
the customer. The idle speed at standstill
has been decreased by 100 rpm, while
noticably increasing the engine quality
and balance.

EMISSION BEHAVIOR

These advantages also affect the engine

emission behavior. In addition to the
FIGURE 7 Power and torque curve of the R1250 boxer engine (© BMW Motorrad) engine process optimization, the cata-
lytic converter and its position have
been redesigned. The catalytic con-
verter volume is now 60 % higher than
tial of the new drive, especially in terms coupled with enhanced charge motion. that of its predecessor model. The metal
of engine elasticity. This is explained in The high turbulence level at the start core’s structure was optimized, and
FIGURE 8 by the results of the longitudi- of and during combustion, combined enhanced with an adapted coating and
nal dynamics simulation. With the new with the efficient fuel mixture forma- precious metal load. At the same time,
drive unit, the R1250GS accelerates in tion and the improved homogenization the exhaust manifold length has been
sixth gear just as quickly as its predeces- of the mixture, accelerates the combus- reduced to guarantee faster start-up and
sor model did in fifth gear. tion process. In conjunction with the stable conversion behavior of the cata-
reduced gas exchange losses caused lytic converter.
by dethrottling with early intake valve FIGURE 10 shows an example of the
FUEL CONSUMPTION
closing and the reduced valve train fric- emission behavior for the hydrocarbon
The part load cam comes into its own tion of the part load cam, clear consump- emissions. Even within the first few
in the lower load range. The phasing of tion advantages in the mid and low load seconds, emissions are significantly
the intake valve causes a pronounced and speed range can be achieved [5]. reduced by an optimized catalytic con-
swirl flow in the combustion chamber FIGURE 9 shows the direct compari- verter heating strategy at afterstart and
during the intake process. At the same son of fuel consumption with the part during the warm-up phase.
time, a much improved fuel mixture load cam and the same operating range As the test continues, the new engine
formation in the combustion chamber in the engine characteristic map during exhibits a consistently low emission
is achieved by the high flow velocities operation with the full load version. level, and the emission curve is there-
with reduced valve cross-sections and The part load configuration range fore much flatter. A more accurate fuel
an optimized injection valve targeting realizes consumption advantages of mixture control through the use of a
linear primary catalytic converter
probe combined with a binary second-
ary catalytic converter probe, as well
as the optimization of the injector target-
ing with significant reduction of the
wall film quantity in the transient
behavior take effect at this point.
Overall, emissions were cut by
more than half in each of the three
phases of the WMTC test cycle. In
conclusion, the new R1250 engine
is already designed to comply with
future emission limits for motorcycles
which will be mandatory from 2020
for new models and from 2021 for
FIGURE 8 Simulated acceleration potential (© BMW Motorrad) the entire vehicle fleet.
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C OVER STORY   Valv e Ge ar

FIGURE 9 Consumption
advantages of the part load
configuration compared
to the full load version
(© BMW Motorrad)

SUMMARY a successor that would evidence a nota- opment. All goals have been achieved,
ble difference. However, the increase in which is not only down to the ShiftCam
The R1200 engine introduced in 2013 power and torque over the entire speed technology. It is rather the improvement
was already very good in terms of ride range with a better engine quality and of almost all components, as described
behavior and integrated seamlessly into balance, the lower fuel consumption in the article: oil supply, crankshaft
the entire vehicle. Given this benchmark, and compliance with the Euro 5 emis- drive, crankcase, timing drive, exhaust
it was difficult initially to define goals for sion limit values justified the new deve­l­ system and the engine control, includ-

FIGURE 10 Cumulative hydrocarbon emissions in the WMTC test cycle (© BMW Motorrad)

38
ing the conversion from alpha/n to a
torque model. The result is a power-
train perfectly fitting for a large long-
distance enduro.

REFERENCES
[1] Mattes, W.; Unterweger, G.; Hartmann, O.;
Blümelhuber, U.: The New Boxer Engine From
BMW Motorrad. In MTZworldwide 9/2013,
pp. 34-40
[2] Mincione, G.; Mattes, W.; Unterweger, G.;
Kresse, T.; Bargende, M.: Ansätze der Brenn­
verfahrensentwicklung zur Effizienzsteigerung
bei BMW Motorradmotoren. 13 th conference –
The working process of the internal combustion
engine, Graz, 2011
[3] Landerl, C.; Mattes, W.; Unterweger, G.;
Mincione, G.; Friedrich, A.; Bargende, M.:
Mehr Fahrspaß bei weniger Verbrauch –
die Zukunft der Motorradantriebe bei BMW
Motorrad. 15 th conference – The working pro­c ess 
of the internal combustion engine, Graz, 2013
[4] Kallich, S.; Hoehl, J.; Friedrich, A.:
Ventiltriebe für den Spezialfall Motorrad.
VDI Tagung Ventiltrieb und Zylinderkopf,
Würzburg, 2015
[5] Schwarz F.; Klauer N.; Kallich S.:
Die Weiterentwicklung des BMW Motorrad
Boxer-Motors. Aachen Colloquium Automobile
and Engine Technology, Aachen, 2018

Pressure Valve Oil Valve Floating Gear

THANKS
The authors thank Frank Schwarz, Jörg Müller,
Christian Güntner, Rüdiger Eibl, Georg Emmers-
berger, Rudolf Schmid, Dietmar Knoll, Christoph
Schmidt, Stephan Lorz, Franz Pfleger, Benjamin
Achatz and Manfred Maier for their support in the
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