"The Wedge"

I'm still a noob in the world of airheads, and I only very recently became aware of the wedge that is part of the handlebar controls. I installed a handlebar mounted master cylinder from the 88-93 RS model, and I had no recollection of having installed a wedge. This concerned me, because I read that without the wedge, you stand a good chance of cracking the perch when you tighten it down. I ordered one, then went to install it today. There doesnt seem to be room for it. I looked at the parts fiche in Max BMW, and it does not show this M/C perch as having a wedge, but curiously, the clutch does.

What am I missing?

I don't know when the wedge went away, but it must have been sometime in the early 80s, just guessing. Perhaps wirewrkr knows - he's familiar with stuff like that.

My 1975 /6 did not take a wedge. Perhaps it ended with the last of the /5 style controls on the 1974 models? Here's the wedge, NOT fitting:

My '74 /6's do indeed have the /5 controls and wedge.

I have a 1982 R100RT, and a 1965 R69S.

Never heard of "The Wedge", and don't remember seeing anything like that picture on either one. I've had both apart several times. (The R69S was apart when I acquired it)
Must have just been a /5 and /6 thing.

My '77 R75/7 has a pair of wedges - just saw them today.

I had one wedge on my R60/2 (and the other was a homemade wedge, broken piece of plastic). The /2 controls are similar to a /5. Are the R69S controls different from a "regular" /2?

Shouldn't be. There was no wedge among the bits I put together, and I haven't had a reason to miss it.
These are Magura controls, which I assume are standard /2 units.

I'll have to look into this. Can the controls be removed without the wedge falling out? Maybe they were in there the whole time, and I just never noticed?
Prolly not likely, I did take the things apart to paint the mounts black.

The wedge, Ithink, was used only on Magura control assemblies and may not have been used with post-Magura controls. Check MaxBMW or RealOEM for your specific model: Main Group 32, Steering.

BMWs can be so quaint at times...

But mine was Magura! Right up until I polished the logos off.

R60/6, 1975. Had a wedge.

I have that on my R80ST, a right pain in the arse too.

Hmmm, may be. But check the parts fiche for specific applications...

76 /6 Mine had wedges

79/7 Mine has wedges

Them pesky little buggers WILL fall out when pulling off the perch. Watch for it. Put down some rags so it don't bounce under the work bench. If there are PO's anywhere in the background of your Airhead, don't be surprized if the are not there.

I saw somewhere some pix and instruction of how to make a wedge from a snipped and folded beer can. A thing of beauty from another Airhead problem solver.

They can be very difficult to get back on. Use a dab of thick grease to seat them firmly in the perch. Carefully twist and push easy and after several renditions of reseat the wedge and try again it will clear the bar end and go on.

My 1984 R65 has them.

This is the most inconsistant verdict ever.

I got excited when I saw the thread title. Made me think of

http://fat-wedge.com/FAT_WEDGES.html

I recommend the Fat Bastard.

I too went through the "to wedge, or not to wedge", question on my 1979 R100RT (PROJECT-S conversion) > http://advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=20514096&postcount=248

I chose to wedge both sides, and then put a reminder note on the controls... as I'm old and forgetfull > http://advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=20537062&postcount=259

TINK

I saw this picture before when I was trying to figure out "to wedge, or not to wedge" and I believe the photo is a little misleading.



The Wedge does not sit that far in, it sits out on the step closest to the camera. The Wedge is located directly under the pinch bolt, hence the cut-out on the back side of The Wedge.



TINK

Some controls have them some don't