Quote Originally Posted by leecooke1985
So when watching the professionals they are all getting their knee down as it aids them in working out how much lean angle they have left so as not to push the bike past it's limits.
Yes, anyone can ride equally as quick without getting knee down however they will not have a physical feeling as to how much they are leaning and therefor, could, lean the bike too far resulting in them dropping the bike.

To mention Rossi and the like, they all use their knee as a pointer to how far they are pushing the bike.

Obviously I will not be pushing the bike to its limit and am not making out that I want the knee down for any other reason than self gratification, however those that do race correctly all state that the knee down is safer as it allows the bike to be held upright thus allowing more acceleration out of the corners as the contact patch is greater.

I may be wrong but after reading racers testimonials that seems to be the common consensus.
I know the science of it. That wasn't my point. You were trying to justify your antics based on "using its full potential". The real reason, as you've just said, is for personal gratification. Which is fine. On the road if you reach the very limit of a bike, frankly, you're a muppet! If anything were to happen you've left nothing in reserve to get out of the situation.
I wasn't condemning you for wanting to KD I was merely saying, don't try and wrap it in crap, you want to get your knee down to say "I got my knee down". Absolutely nothing wrong with that, crack on!!!