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[sadunbar]

OK, thanks. I searched but didn't find pics. I did find a post that said to check for it, fire up a cold engine and put your hand on the rocker cover to feel it. I did that—no tapping feeling. But when I put my ear within 3 inches of the head, I could hear a faint ticking from the left rear side, rear cylinder. Any farther away, and I can't even detect it (I have stock exhaust system). On any other bike, I would normally attribute that to a normal tappet sound. In fact on some bikes (Guzzis), if you don't hear some tapping, it is said that your tappet-valve clearance is too tight.

I don't want to beat this topic to death, but I'm hoping we'll all be a little clearer as to what constitutes a normal tapping sound vs. abnormal, and whether any tapping sound should warrant a rocker frame upgrade/replacement. After seeing the dremel job above, that is not going to be an option for me. Yes, I know it is functionally fine, but it's a hack-job from an engineering point of view. I would only accept a mod that was done with a jig. That's what Harley sells for reboring cases for larger piston, even though a hand grinder and a file would yield the same functional result.

Now that you have seen a picture of where the interference is, try the screwdriver to the ear test.  When I did that test on mine, it was very obvious I had a metal to metal interference at that location...

[Air-Cooled]

I checked out that thread and this pic shows where the rub is. I don't think it is that nick, rather the shallow scratchy marks to the left:

[sadunbar]

I checked out that thread and this pic shows where the rub is. I don't think it is that nick, rather the shallow scratchy marks to the left:

Nope - it's the nick.  Absolutely positively is the nick.  It is exactly the same as mine was.  I turned my motor over with a wrench with the rocker box cover off and saw it hit.  Feeler gage confirmed it.  The edge of the retainer hits.  It is the nick. 

[Air-Cooled]

OK, I believe you.  The fact that the nick looked like a single impact, and was on an angle (the retainer would be horizontal), threw me off.

[sadunbar]

OK, I believe you.  The fact that the nick looked like a single impact, and was on an angle (the retainer would be horizontal), threw me off.

The surface of the rocker box where the nick is located is pretty random.  It is not flat, or in a single plane...  That's why the nick looks to be on an angle.

[Air-Cooled]

I think I'm seeing that now. There is an outward bulge under that hole, and that's where it looks like it hammered itself in.