Stepped design.... For backpressure?
I think it is more for scavenging than back pressure, or the headpiece would be the larger of the two. As the gases are traveling down the pipe, they expand at the larger junction, creating a suction effect into the combustion chamber, purging any burnt and unburnt exhaust, and pulling new mixture into the chamber. More efficient, if that is the design... Now, resonance also play a part, where the sonic wave of the exhaust will reflect back into the head pipe, and stop exhaust from exiting, so the pipes must be 'tuned' for this to be a minimal effect. If you look at some of the V-Twin and 4 cylinder headers, they have a cone, shaped toward the back, and installed into the head pipe where it meets the exhaust port. this reflects the wave back to the exit of the exhaust, minimizing this effect.
Charlie