First Rides

Latest First Rides

2014 Honda CTX700 - in-action

2014 Honda CTX700/CTX700N – First Ride Big Red’s New-Think standard.

Honda is taking the bull by the horns and doing all it can to ensure motorcycling’s future. Over the past three years, Big Red has developed multiple points of entry into motorcycling. The first wave started with the CBR250R, which was followed by the NC700X and a three-bike, 500cc lineup [...]

2013 Honda CBR600RR - action #1

2013 Honda CBR600RR – First Ride Evolution of one of the best, makes the CBR even better.

Back in 2006, when Honda was selling roughly 20,000 CBR600RRs in the U.S. each year, fast-paced development and short motorcycle life cycles were necessary to keep consumer interest and provide a good platform for Supersport racing. Now, in a market in which CBR250Rs outsell big brother significantly, careful evolution is [...]

2013 BMW F800GT - action #1

2013 BMW F800GT – First Ride The name’s almost the same but this middleweight sport-tourer is much better.

It’s all in the initials. With the F800ST that BMW has been producing since 2007, the “ST” stands for “sport-touring.” But for 2013, the company rethought and redesigned the ST to provide a little less of the “S” and more of the “T,” then renamed it “GT” for “grand touring.” [...]

In-action shot#1: Triumph Explorer XC

2014 Triumph Explorer XC – First Ride Hightailing it around the Scottish Highlands on the Brit’s newest adventure bike.

It’s all about the whiskey and the wool here in the Scottish Highlands…and of course, the wide-open spaces that nurture the requisite barley and sheep. Those same rolling hills and lush glens are also brilliant for adventuring. Just ask James Bond. And Triumph Motorcycle’s product manager, Simon Warburton, who’s invited [...]