Thanks acotrel. I'm not sure about it either, but In the article noted above from 2005 by motorcycledaily.com, they refer to this interesting theory of wheelspin and rear-wheel traction control on high HP superbikes:
A standard inline-four fires its cylinders at regular intervals – one cylinder every 180 degrees of crank rotation. This creates a constant delivery of power to the rear wheel, which can make it difficult to maintain rear-tire traction, or to regain said traction once it has been lost via wheelspin. Since this effect becomes more pronounced as power output increases, it is especially noticeable in current Superbikes (many putting out 200+ horsepower) and MotoGP bikes (220-250 horsepower).
Years ago, Superbike racers discovered that it was easier to modulate the power to prevent wheelspin on the Ducati V-twins than it was to do the same on the Japanese inline-fours. This is because there is a longer interval (in terms of both time and crankshaft rotation) between cylinders firing, which gives the rear tire a “break” – time to recover traction and match its speed to that of the motorcycle.
The “big bang” engine attempts to transfer this characteristic to the inline-four by changing the firing intervals of the cylinders. By firing two cylinders close together, followed by a long break, then the other two cylinders in close succession, then another long break before the cycle begins, a “big bang” motor gives the tire some recovery time. This gives enormous benefits to rideability and tire wear.
I have not researched anything more recent to further support this theory or if the predictions in the article have been realized.
