Yes, that's interesting. Note that his argument about balancing the masses, while logical, are not always practical. For example. I've owned two different models of Honda motorcycles, one 150cc and two 305cc. The 150cc engine was two cylinders where both pistons went up and down at the same time, while the 305cc engine, also two cylinders, the pistons moved 180 degrees from one another. And since both engines were four-cycle engines, this produced some interesting approaches to how they worked. For example, the 150cc, each cylinder fired 360 degrees from each other which meant that for each revolution of the engine, you got one power and one exhaust stroke. Interestingly, the ignition system was very simple in that BOTH spark plugs fired for each revolution, just that only one of them fired on what was a power stroke where there was fuel present. Now in the case of the 305cc, while it might seem to be better balanced, it really wasn't since you'd get two power strokes in 180 degrees of revolution and then go 540 degrees before there would be another power stroke. At low speed, it actually sounded a bit odd, but at normal driving speed, it ran more like a powerful single cylinder engine and was surprisingly smooth.
I know that this was not really related to the Yamaha issue, but I figured it was still interesting. BTW, I never owned any four cylinder motorcycles so I don't know how they worked.
My first bike, a Z1000 Kaw... was of the old style... heavy and I didn't think they could make a faster bike... about 20 years back I borrowed a bud's Kaw Ninja... boy was I surprised. I'd never seen such pickup... It would go faster than I could... had it way up and backed off because I wasn't comfortable. When I had my first bike I was single... with the Ninja I had a wife and 3 children... it was still irresponsible. I still remember the firing order from my Coopers...1, 3, 4, 2...
Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?
