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Call out to all the motorcyclists on the forum
First off sorry rob i wasn't sure where to post this.. And im sorry because i no this subject is taboo on the forum, but it is relevant.
Now. a few months ago i went n + 1 
I bought a road motorbike as a weekend toy.
Now my question is my dad is a very keen motorcyclist so i've been learning from him, reading books and doing research of my own. Now what amazes me is just how much quicker and comfortable i am now opposed to when i started and how i hold my average speed so much higher and am using the tyre much more/leaning over etc etc..
It got my thinking because it wasn't much that i changed to get so much dam quicker i.e. counter steering, looking ahead, weighting up the front. How much is relevant to a mtb i mean there are two wheels, handlebars and surely the same principals as a mtb - corner as fast and hard as possible with making the most of what grip you have??
Cheers,
Jono.
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keeping your weight forward, leaning the bike over, getting your arse off the seat etc are all things that I see people failing to do on a regular basis when riding MTB.
I think people become too focused on just going faster through pedalling instead of continually improving their skills.
If you are going to implement your moto skills into your MTB, cut your speed in half at first to get familiar with the execution, then gradually increase as you become more confident.
Oh and make sure you've got rid of the silly long stem / narrow bar combo!
What about leaning the bike over? You always see the moto gp guys with a knee on the tarmac but from what i understand you lean a mtb over BUT when doing so you fully get of the bike and let the bike lean out and away from you not with you ( keeping your body square with the ground and not leaning over with the bike?) Ive got a short stem and fat bars aswell
:D
At the end of the day i guess its a different discipline i think were touching more on dh now where most are xc (peddling and climbing)
Jono.
I interpreted leaning over as meaning the bike. I suppose the exception might be hitting a high banked berm at speed.
And as for DH Vs XC, I think developing skills in both disciplines will make you a batter rider in the other. I consider myself an AM rider but find DH extremely beneficial to my overall riding ability.
The big thing for me was skidding. If you're learning, the first thing you should do on a motorbike is find an empty car park, start at say 10Kmph and hit the anchors. Then 20km etc. Get used to how you bike reacts under heavy braking and learn to avoid grabbing too much front brake. Best to learn this now then having to learn in an emergency. (Unless you have ABS but even then still get used to it because ABS doesn't work 100% of the time on a bike).
Being used to riding MTB on sand, mud etc helped me ride more confidently on wet roads and skidding on my motorbike without panicking. Don't afraid of the wet, but learn how things like white lines, manhole covers and oil patches will upset your riding.
Best advice for the wet - ride in a higher gear than normal so your bike is less snatchy on the throttle. Makes you slower but ultimately smoother in the rain which is what it's all about.
To answer your specific question (which I didn't I realise), I think that riding a motorbike gives you better reaction times and more awareness of your surroundings, plus the ability to change direction at speed much easier.
.. that you should ride your motorcycle or your mtb on the road like every car out there is capable of doing something unpredictable that can bring you undone.
And getting it wrong on the road on a motorcycle is generally much more dangerous than getting it wrong in the bush on your mtb.
By all means test your limits on the dirt, but maybe sign up to some riding / racing lessons on the motorcycle where you can test your limits away from cars and irregular road surfaces.
I haven'y ridden a motorcycle for years, but I found it really helped as a youngster to have spent a lot of time riding push bikes (pre-mtb days!) and mini-bikes and dirt bikes off road before getting anywhere near traffic. Just had to worry about the cars then, not what I was doing....
Been coveted before and always generates a bit of debate. Biggest difference is weight distribution. The weight of the heavier motor bike gets your center of gravity lower.
As for leaning over in the corners. So much depends on the corner but generally on a mtb unless it's a solid berm you want to lean the bike but not so much your body. Weight out side pedal, get outside elbow high, and look around the corner.
I think the main thing you bring across is being comfortable with speed and the quick reflexes that come with that
I frequent the carpark quite often to grab the brakes and work on low speed manovaribility and as soon as funds allow i'm going to do a proper riding course, i no how important it is. I try ride in Sydney as little as possible, when i go for a ride i venture out where there is much less traffic, as i said its a weekend toy.
Im also leaning more towards AM, but i've always felt i was really slow on the trails when they point down even though my bike is very very capable. I used to think it was setup but im starting to realise its probably me.
lean with the bike ,
on a MTB you unweight the bike & don't lean with it
Ok, you're road riding not trail riding on your motorbike, so the biggest thing will be how far you look ahead when riding a motorcycle of any discription, this will translate to your MTB allowing you to process what's coming not what is already upon you! As for leaning and dragging a knee, this is road/race riding only, the reason they do it is they're actually trying to keep the bike as upright as possible through the corner for more grip and lowering the centre of gravity, this allows them to get power down early through the corner. If you were trail or motocross riding the comparisons will translate directly to your MTB, body positioning is key, moving your weight and letting the bike absorb a lot of the bumps and hits, while your body just acts as a lever, whilst positioning yourself either forward/neutral/back depending on what you're attacking, will make you more efficient and much faster. Cornering in this instance is also different to road, but similar to MTB, you actually sit more on top of the bike and push the tyres into the corner to gain more traction. It comes as no surprise when I read an interview with a top MTBer like Josh Carlson and he has a motocross back ground!
Great, this is the stuff im looking for..
so now when you lean the bike over, how much can you lean it over i'm guessing its to the edge of the tyre were the big knobs are. Is there too much lean?? hahah
Ive been stuffing around with this idea and even at really low speeds u can drop the bike to 45˚ just because your sitting on top of the bike and not on the seat.
Jonathan hi, road bikes are a lot of fun but you have a lot to learn boy.iv been on the road for more than half my walking life an see young boys like you all the time in the gravel from your attitude i have to go fast to lean over that is wrong.i can get my knee on the ground on cbr1000rr fire blade at walking pace.the key to any riding is being smooth not fast.i ride every day an have been since i was 17 the only way to progress is to ride.An to those off you that go to a track to learn your wrong riding on a track gives you very little skill on the road in traffic an on wet roads.Sell your road bike get a dirt bike an learn that way the bush is far safer than the track.learn to ride on the road with Noby tires thay slip an slid every wear thats where you learn not a track.i my dads a road an race instructor his last student is now in moto Gp .so get in contact with Berne Hutton riding school thay can help you.an remember When the throttle is cracked open it is rolled on smoothly an continuly through the remainder of the turn.
I think of myself very differently to the average person my age on a road bike and even older for that matter although you might not.. Im in no rush to progress and i'm not here to race anyone. Every time i ride i have a goal and i work on a specific skill every time i go out - as i'm starting out i'm working on good habits from the start and in reference to cracking the throttle i understand it and i practice it every corner i ride (its the first thing i learnt).
In reference to my previous comments i was in short saying how a little bit of tuition and practice can make a massive difference in speed, confidence and safety. And as im doing for my motorbike, i thought it would be worth doing for my mtb
Im not out on the road to prove anything to anyone.
How far can you lean it over you ask? All the way until you hit the ground I guess
I've ridden since I was a kid, Although I don't ride much any more, I watch those guys on moto gp and marvel at their skills, like any elite sportsperson! It seems like they're playing a different game. enjoy yourself be safe and the road is not a race track, if you want to experience that get some tuition and then the track.
One good habit I'd ask for is to remember your roots
and give cyclists on the road enough room when passing.
Back nwhen I started rcycle commuting it seemed cyclists and moto riders viewed each other as kindred spirits. Motos would come up behind, pause, I'd hear them and move over and there'd be a mutual wave as they went on their way.
Seems to have become much less common over the last two years - and it seems to be scooter riders who are way over represented here - many are just as likely to brush past your elbow. Not saying its malicious, more due to lack of thought.
I think a key survival strategy is for cyclists and motos alike to treat every driver as though they either haven't seen you or they just don't care.
Most really are pretty good ... but unfortunately it only takes one not to be and it stops being enjoyable rather quickly.
Good luck with it. I may join you eventually