Rossi doesn’t stick his foot out because his bike is setup so his foot is high and back, hard to get it off the peg and straight in front of you. Sticking your leg out is about best using your available weight transfer. It lets someone on an upright bike move their centre of gravity off the bike and low. If he just crouched and hung off the seat (MotoGP style) his centre of gravity would be higher.
And as for defending the SM rider’s skill, I’m not. I’m just saying the technique is a valid one.
I don’t think anyone would say the Ninja rider is a MotoGP star either. But I’m not really in a position to critique his riding. Yes, following the inside line cuts visibility, but it gives you space with the oncoming traffic (I know when I’m leaning I much prefer to be as far away from that yellow line as possible).
For me, the point of the video was simple: It shows that in real world riding, a Ninja 250 can play with the bigger bikes and does not need to be treated as an “underpowered toy”.
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