Hi Dero,
You are indeed correct. The application used in MotoGP, 2 stroke GP500 before that, and WSB with the V4 RC45 before that was to increase grip as you indicate. However, with a parallel twin it is a necessity - otherwise the vibrations would make the thing unrideable.
Incidentally, whilst 360 degree cranks did go towards taming the monster 500cc GP bikes if the '90s, they also made the V4 2-strokes sound like the V2 250s (by pairing up the cylinders) which was very unpopular with the fans. The return to the 'screamers' was welcomed by all, and saw a thaw of the stagnant lap times that had preceeded. The sound of an NSR500 screamer is second to none. The RC45 sounds very good though, that V4 drone will never leave an Endurance Racing fan's ear.
Ferrari and TVR use 'flat plane' cranks with 180 degree firing orders that pair up the cylinders of their V8s to make them fire like 'big bang' 4 cylinders - just as Ford did with their legendary Kart/F1 DFRV8. With 4-wheelers there is no grip problem, however making the V8 fire like two four cylinder engines enables the engine to rev higher, which in turn allows it to make more power. This helps the Ferrari F360 to make 400bhp at 8,500rpm from 3.6 litres, whereas the cross-plane cranked Corvette makes it's identical 400bhp at 6,000rpm from 6 litres.