Novarossi was very busy to design engines different from standard like their weird bearings and indeed the offset carb. The offset carb is a solution to get the intake hole of the crankshaft in line with the crankpin which should give more balance in the crankshaft. We customers want to see improvements and so going outside the standard and giving it an interesting story will push people to buy the engine. And with patented designs no other can copy it with which you can make your own prices like the impossible bearing of the Virtus with a retail price of arround 115 dollar (!!!)

Look at their latest model:
MEPHISTO.21 ONROAD - NOVAROSSI WORLD

It is using the normal 14.5x26x6 bearing and a normal carburator.The cheaper OS, LM and Picco engines were getting more interesting for the market, not only with their prices but also performance wise which seems to me the reason to go back to normal designs with the result of lower prices du easier and more mass manufacturing and most of all with that, more satisfied customers.,