I do notice quite a few riders tryng to hang off on the road, normally they are holding me up in my diesel tin box!
I think quite a few riders watch moto-gp on telly and think that is how to ride, quite sad really as although they think they look cool, I think they probably do not have a clue how to control a motorcyle and normally they are on something pretty damn fast.
I would also agree that hanging off on the road is pretty pointless for much (if not all) of the time, adjusting body position is fine, but proper hanging off I am sure adds nothing except possibly a bit of fun.
With you on that one.... I used to move around on sports bikes but like you said most of the folk trying it or the magazine shoots with "knee down" pose seem to have forgotten to lean the bike!!
In one of those Performance Bikle Frenzy questionairres from the early 90's was a Q "Have you ever got your knee down?" and this CX riding courier had answered "No, but I have passed plenty of riders who have..."
I hardly ever go to bike shops any more so I don't know whether there is still an obsession with knee sliders and angle grinders
After working in and around bike shops for many years I was worn out with the amount of bike shop ego bullshit I heard and many of the "heros" who might have done a bit of what they said came a cropper sooner or later...
Photo's for proof of knee down with a lack of lean.... Least the cost of hero blobs won't be much