In a valve-operating mechanism in a 4-cycle engine, a timing transmitting device is disposed on one side of an engine body. A cam device includes a cam coupled to a driven pulley of the timing transmitting device on one side of a cylinder head, intake and exhaust rocker shafts rotatably carried in the cylinder head, intake and exhaust cam followers secured to one ends of the rocker shafts with their tip ends in sliding contact with the cam, and intake and exhaust rocker arms secured to the other ends of the intake and exhaust rocker shafts with their tip ends abutting against the intake and exhaust valves. Thus, the cam of the cam device can be disposed on one side of the cylinder head to effectively reduce the entire height of the engine.