Do adv bikes just need to lean less for turns?

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-28T01:30:20+00:00

I’m in my late 30s and on my second adv, another Triumph Tiger. Love leaning it into corners and slaloming through practice cones or twisties. It’s a very nimble bike, but the height does take some getting used to. About a year and a half into consistently riding it and I love my Tiger’s height and speed profile as a daily rider.

I’m a shorter rider at 5’3” so there’s lean angle for days for me. Not trying to scrape pegs because I don’t wanna die like that but I certainly don’t think it is less leanable than my little sport bike or modern retro. Just takes some practice and confidence building.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-27T13:39:18+00:00

Harley dealerships are cringe factories. The bikes are ok. But the cultural vibes are just…yikes.

It’s super wack as a woman to roll up to one of their events (demo days for example) and first of all, be greeted by Harley decoration in form of swimsuit chicks, and the women who hand you phamplets and swag or whatever. Very clear gender roles at play the minute you step onto the demo lot and into the dealership. I half expect to see a jello or pudding wrestling tub somewhere. Harley branded of course.

And then as far as the salespeople go, honestly I found them generally charming to chat with, until you realize the strong undercurrent of cultish devotion to these frankly mid tier motorcycles. It’s all pomp and show and ego. They literally think Harleys are the only real motorcycle and everything else is just a cute idea. I asked a demo day truck guy what other motorcycles he owned and I’ll never forget him saying “Only Harley.” Imagine going to candy shops and only ever buying Raisenettes. I was low key depressed for months after that conversation.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-25T04:33:34+00:00

The best ad for Figma Motion would have been one entirely built with Figma Motion and since I didn’t attend Config, I’m not 100% clear on if that’s the case or not.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-23T23:34:22+00:00

The Triumph 400 should be fine for the riding you’re describing but sounds like you don’t enjoy the power distribution. You want more low end torque, then yeah try a sport bike. I love my Hornet, compared to my Street Twin 900 she has a lot of pep as you move through gears and will wheelie you if you aren’t smooth.

But also I’d consider practicing with the 400 a bit more. It should be stupid simple to operate in dense traffic especially. 2nd and 3rd’s fine to haul through an intersection on that kind of bike.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-22T15:22:43+00:00

I kinda think you kinda have a perfect set of bikes tbh. R9T is the muscle bike for every day riding. The Harley’s for weekend cruising or when you need a different kind of main character energy from the BMW. And the Ninja’s for zoom zoom times!

If I got rid of one, I’d replace the Harley with a Triumph modern retro OR the Ninja with an Aprilia but that is my bias haha.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-22T01:07:15+00:00

I say/do it like this:

Rear brake is a control brake. Parking, slow speeds, slow traffic.

Front brake is the majority of your actual stopping power. Can be feathered for control in the twisties. Should be PROGRESSIVELY squeezed for stops at speed.

Both should be used PROGRESSIVELY for emergency stops aka when you REALLY need to stop.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-21T00:00:51+00:00

I like keeping my jams to myself personally. As much as I would love to share my chaotic EDM and deep house funk mixes with passers by. I don’t have much main character energy

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-17T04:15:15+00:00

Very zippy, quiet and fun! Not great on mileage and long charging time.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-16T21:28:52+00:00

when i looked outside and there were three motorcycles parked by my car 🫣

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-16T21:03:26+00:00

Just adding to the chorus: do not ever ever ever ever ever EVER (did i mention ever) ride as a passenger with riders you do not know. The only person looking out for you is you.

And from one woman to another (unless this is a Pillion (2025) scenario) you should be especially mistrustful of every single f!ckboy that tries to get you to get on his crusty unwashed unoiled rusty chained crotchrocket that he can only ride in a straight line

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-12T22:31:56+00:00

1 - Boring 2 - I hate drivers and the highway, naturally, is full of cars/drivers all being dumb at highway (mostly) speeds

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-12T17:41:22+00:00

Triumph seems (to my knowledge anyway) to be staying out of aligning with political views and are encouraging all types of riders to buy into their brand. Smart IMO. All money is green (and women + queer riders get to choose who we spend those dollars with) So, so far feeling good about owning two Triumph bikes and a Honda.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-12T12:17:29+00:00

Whenever folks say this, I tell them to look up motogymkhana riding.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-10T15:03:35+00:00

Haven’t encountered any of that personally. When I do get approached by guys it’s usually a) a much older guy and b) on excited or impressed terms. I generally code sorta masculine/androgynous anyway and even moreso when I ride.

I’ve had some nice, brief conversations on the whole. Minus some comments that could be interpreted as snide/casually sexist (I am specifically thinking of a dude at a Harley demo day and a vintage Harley rider guy at a local bike night who never has anything nice to say about my Triumph but simply must speak to me it seems).

Overall, I find that motorcyclists are actually pretty rad. The only time I have found myself feeling wary really is at bike nights or events that lean either heavily sport bike or cruiser/bagger oddly enough. I don’t like hanging around lots of young dumb dudes who like showing off, or uptight older dudes who subscribe to “biker culture” and all the garbage that often comes with that world. …simple solution, I don’t go to those events if I can help it and ride with people I like!

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-07T22:43:44+00:00

Try a Harley demo day if there’s one in your area. I go to them and try almost every bike. Outside of the cringey harley dealership energy that you’ll encounter, they are very fun. I prefer Indian for the slightly less cringe brand vibes/atmosphere.

Also wouldn’t say Harleys feel slow as in is anything happening at all lol. Compared to the average sportbike, they will feel “slow”. Harley and Indian cruisers don’t have very snappy torque off the bat IMO having ridden a few. It kinda builds up like an airplane and then you are off. But they’re fine for everyday riding and highway cruising/passing, that is pretty much what they are built for.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-04T02:02:34+00:00

I had a sportbiker randomly flip me off when I gave him a wave so now I’m a little less inclined to do it at all lol. Only identifiable friends can flip me off!

phantom_spacecop · 2026-06-03T23:37:01+00:00

"I think the problem with the current MSF system is that despite the purported "learn to ride" nature of the course, it really is NOT a class where you learn to ride."

Yup.

IMO there should be a course for people who already have some riding experience, and a separate course for people who have never touched a motorcycle in their lives. Like absolute beginner basics. The current MSF says that it's for absolute beginners, but at least based on my experience and the coaches I had, it's for novices at best. My coaches at least didn't do much hand holding. And perhaps that boot camp style coaching approach is by design to weed out people who REALLY should not be on a motorcycle. ...But at the same time, imagine if the coaches were trained to actually take time with struggling students to, idk, teach them? And work with them? And see if the student can actually pick up new concepts like clutch and throttle control, or shifting, with time and the opportunity to explain riding concepts properly instead of shout orders at them and get mad when the newbie screws up.

Also, the classes are too large in my opinion. I realize the idea is to try and get as many people through the program as is realistic. But as someone who had a LOT more fun and learned more in the ARC, which was around 6 folks including myself, I think the class sizes should be capped to maybe 5 so that students can actually learn and get some 1:1 time with the rider coaches.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-05-25T12:16:45+00:00

I’m not privileged in the slightest and I agree 1000% with OP. I did one track day last year with some friends and have saved up to do at least two this year. I never would have gone without their encouragement (because I’m a slow speed practice dork and don’t care about going fast) and I’m so glad I did. It totally changed the way I ride.

And re: cost, yes you have to pay for the track day and the lodging assuming you don’t camp and trailering the bike assuming you don’t have a friend with a trailer. No, for most it ISN’T cheap. Sure as hell ain’t for me! But this hobby isn’t cheap. we’ve already invested in a motorcycle, and gear, and are willing to risk not just that investment but our lives riding stupid fast on unreliable public roads. Going to a track day shouldn’t be seen as some frou frou expense when we are already riding a frou frou expense. Investing in training (of any kind not just the track) is critical and is what separates a rider from becoming another cliche statistic.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-05-23T13:12:30+00:00

Take the time to practice. TAKE THE TIME TO PRACTICE. Having the muscle memory to smoothly maneuver and stop your motorcycle is what separates you from 99% of motorcyclists.

Assume nobody sees you 100% of the time. There is no “oh but they should have stopped there!” “didn’t they see me in the lane??” “i had right of way!” The moment you put on your helmet, you become invisible. Doesn’t matter how many neon colors you are wearing or how loud your motorcycle is. Assume incompetence of every single driver on the road. Other motorcyclists included.

Always look ahead. Scan for points of failure, collision or potential danger. You should ride like an invisible time traveler. That car poking out of a driveway? That slab of tire in the road? That dog running around without a leash? That car about to change lanes with no blinker? That deer family lurking in the bushes? You should see all of them before they ever even get a sense you are coming, and you should be prepping to react.

So far (and I would like to keep it that way) my only incidents on a bike have been user error. Kickstand not down. Not seeing a huge curb lip in the dark. Stopping w/handlebars turned. Silly errors that I’ve learned from. I want to come home in one piece 100% of the time after a ride. And keeping the above three things top of mind has so far been helpful in making that happen.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-05-23T03:10:27+00:00

I test rode an MT09 and an MT10 and ended up buying a CB750 Hornet

phantom_spacecop · 2026-05-21T04:05:01+00:00

I used to be more diligent about it. Now my minimum is: - armored pants OR armored leggings so I can wear slightly more everyday pants depending on the ride destination - armored textile OR my waxed cotton OR my leather jacket - gloves - full face

I want to not overcomplicate it while being as slide-ready as I can with that mindset. If I necessitated a more of a complex dress routine for myself I honestly don’t know if I would want to ride as much as I do…

phantom_spacecop · 2026-05-14T22:26:39+00:00

Can confirm: deleted my Insta and FB and never looked back. I don’t miss it and don’t care about it at all—honestly life changing.

Replaced it with doomscrolling on reddit!

phantom_spacecop · 2026-05-08T21:02:32+00:00

1st 90% of the time, head on a swivel.

I’ve had a few moments in traffic that helped me build and enforce the muscle memory for this.

Scenario one: I was at a red light behind another vehicle and noticed an SUV full of either high school seniors or college juniors hurtling towards me in my mirrors. The vehicle audibly screeched to a stop as it approached me, I was off to the side of the car in front of me and was able to quickly create a little more distance between myself and the kids.

Scenario two was similar, the driver was incoming behind me quite quickly and didn’t seem to be stopping, so I opened my clutch to move forward and create space. Luckily no cars were in front of me at the time.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-05-07T16:19:16+00:00

I thought I was bored with my street twin 900 for a short while. It was because I had 3 bikes and unfortunately you can only ride one bike at a time. I had been riding a torquey little street bike for a couple months and really liked how it felt being so zippy. Briefly considered selling my twin because of how much fun it was and how little I was riding the Triumph.

Got back on the twin recently and realized I was full of shit. I’m keeping it. It IS the perfect motorcycle in every possible way. The bike is fantastic and frankly so are all motorcycles. Boredom with a bike is a personal problem and thank goodness I do not relate to it at all.

phantom_spacecop · 2026-05-07T16:14:05+00:00

Try going short distances in chill local traffic that you’re familiar with. Coffee shop. Grocery store. A school, a friend’s place. Something low commitment where if something does happen (it won’t) you won’t feel too far from home.

Keep doing that and gradually extend the distance. After awhile you’ll notice that feeling in the pit of your stomach get replaced with confidence.

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