Patent ID: 7263958

Claim:
A valve drive mechanism for an internal combustion engine that includes an outer body formed, at least in part, by a crankcase and a cylinder head assembly that protrudes from the crankcase, the valve drive mechanism comprising a drive gear that is mounted on a crankshaft supported on the crankcase, a shaft that is supported for rotation by a bearing, a driven gear mounted on the shaft, the driven gear configured to mesh with the drive gear, a drive pulley mounted to the shaft; a driven pulley mounted to a camshaft supported on the cylinder head assembly, a transmitter member that extends between the drive pulley and the driven pulley, and a bracket that is a separate component from the engine outer body and is configured to be mounted to the engine outer body, the bracket configured to support the bearing and the rotating shaft, wherein the bracket, the bearing, the rotating shaft, the driven gear, the drive pulley and the bracket form a unit that is configured to be mounted together to the outer body.