Yes you can rotate the top half to make the exhaust come out either side. I rotated mine to have the starting socket on the right. but you must time it before you loosen the bolts and lock the cylinder so it does not move, ( a pin through the exhaust and carb openings works great). once you have done that, lift the top half off the gears the rotate 90' left or right. make sure that the crank and piston are at TDC, top dead center. then carefully lower the top half down on the gears making sure nothing moves. it may take a few try's before your sure that it is timed corectly. it is farlly straight forward. hope that helps.