Patent 7131412 was granted and assigned to Honda on November, 2006 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The invention is directed at a device that reduces the size of an engine in the direction along the axis of a crankshaft. More specifically, it relates to an engine starting system in which a part of a starting power transmission gear train is provided between one end portion of a crankshaft rotatably borne on a crankcase and a starter motor mounted to the crankcase is covered from the outside by an accessory coupled to and operated in conjunction with the crankshaft.