Variable valve gear for an internal combustion engine

A variable valve gear for an internal combustion engine, comprising:

• a cylinder head having an intake or exhaust valve;
• a cam drive shaft that is rotatably supported by the cylinder head;
• a cam lobe that is rotatably supported by the cam drive shaft and has a cam for driving the valve;
• and
• a variable valve mechanism that includes a drive arm fixed adjacent to one end of the cam lobe in the cam drive shaft, an eccentric shaft member that is swivelably supported at a position opposite to the cam lobe with respect to the drive arm in the cam drive shaft, has an outer circumferential surface eccentric to an axis of the cam drive shaft, and is adjustable in eccentricity, and an intermediate rotary member that is rotatably supported through a bearing member around the outer circumferential surface of the eccentric shaft member and is connected to the drive arm, the mechanism transmitting the rotation of the cam drive shaft through the drive arm and the intermediate rotary member to the cam lobe, adjusts the eccentricity of the eccentric shaft member, and then varies a valve-open period of the valve,
• wherein the drive arm includes an end face that overlaps with an end face of the bearing member, regardless of a rotational position of the drive arm relative to the eccentric shaft member, when being projected along the axis of the cam drive shaft, and the end face of the drive arm is protruding further than an end face of the cam lobe toward the bearing member.