i don't see how it will get you out of trouble? knowing how far that you can lean is useful, as long as you then don't go to that extreme in gerneral riding. if you enter a corner at some point at what you think is too fast, it's good to have the confidence to push that little bit more and make the turn (or at worst low side) rather than run wide

personally, i have never got my knee down - because i don't wear a power ranger suit with knee sliders. but i have scraped the pegs on all of my bikes (cbf600, 2 x VTR1000, VF750) which admittedly are not the sportiest bikes on the planet. scrape the pegs and you will be using all of the tyre.

most importantly, don't think that you have to use the whole tyre or other bikers will be ridiculing you because of your 'chicken strips'. ride to have fun, not die early