If you’re passionate about motorcycles, you probably can’t help but share your enthusiasm for two wheels with your children. We get it. If your spouse is annoyed at you because your child’s first word was “Ducati,” just remind him or her that it could be worse; if it were up to you, the kid would be named Valentino. If you want to share your moto joy with your kid, check out these products that will plant the seed of speed and start them on the road to riding. You never know, your progeny may turn out to be the next MotoGP world champion.
Forget training wheels. Hook your kids on the thrill of two wheels with a Strider balance bike. Just because your little ones aren’t potty trained doesn’t mean they can’t ride a bicycle. Ryan McFarland, the founder of Strider bikes, is a die-hard motorcyclist, so it’s no wonder he was eager to share his passion with his 2-year-old son. He built the first Strider after he realized there weren’t any products aimed at teaching young children how to balance on two wheels. Strider bikes have taught thousands of kids how to ride.
When Ralph gets his paws on a shiny red toy motorcycle, an entire world of two-wheel adventure opens up for the daring mouse. Is there another book that has so charmingly introduced the joy of motorcycling to generations of children? If your child is a big reader—or you’d like to mold them into the motojournalist of the future so you can mooch hand-me-down gear and free tires—order a copy of The Mouse and the Motorcycle. For bringing motorcycling into the canon of beloved children’s books, Beverly Cleary should be inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
For older children interested in the basics of internal combustion, assembling this scale model of one of the most iconic motorcycle engines of all time is sure to be a fun and engaging way to understand what’s at the heart of mom’s or dad’s obsession with all things that roll and go. With moving engine parts and light-up spark plugs, this replica Honda inline-four could really fire up your kid’s dreams of becoming an engineer or a mechanic.
