Making A Rider: Teaching Your Kid To Ride

Every motorcycling parent dreams of their child expressing interest in the sport. For me it started with a request to be taken for rides on the back of my bike, but then one magnificent day, she asked, “Can I learn to ride?” I’ve always wanted my kids to be interested in riding, but I was not going to pressure them. I’ve supported them in their interests (from ballet for my oldest to competitive gymnastics for my youngest) and tried to avoid pushing them into mine. So, when my 13 year old asked me, I sprung into action. What I didn’t know is that I would end up learning almost as much about myself and my daughter as she did about riding motorcycles. 

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2020 Husqvarna EE 5 Electric Dirt Bike Enters Production

Husqvarna has entered the electric motorcycle market, launching the new EE 5 electric dirt bike as a 2020 model. The 2020 Husqvarna EE 5 is designed for young riders, with an all-new electric powertrain that claims an equivalent performance level to a 50cc gasoline-powered dirt bike.

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HJC CL-Y Youth Helmet Review

The market for motorcycle helmets is saturated with choices, but there are surprisingly few options for street (not off-road) helmets that fit the smaller head sizes of children. So, when I was trying to outfit my daughter with decent motorcycle gear so I could take her on street rides with me, I found few options.

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Stacyc Electric Balance Bike + Video

This just in from the “I wish they had these when I was a kid” Department: The Stacyc Electric Balance Bike is almost too cool for words. In recent years, we’ve seen balance bikes gain in popularity among parents who want to introduce young children to bicycles in a safe, confidence-inspiring way. The low seat height allows kids as young as two years old to sit on the seat and propel the bike by walking. So, what’s a father looking for a way to involve his son in his love of motorcycles to do? If your name is Ryan Ragland, you combine the strengths of a balance bike with a battery-powered electric motor and create the Stacyc Electric Balance Bike.

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The Hook: An Entrance Into Motorcycling

At Motorcycle.com, we care deeply about all aspects of motorcycling, and one of the most important issues facing our recreation and transportation is how to reach the next generation of riders. Our love for motorcycling is hard-wired into our beings, so it’s vexing for us to imagine fun-loving youth not being enthralled by the thrills and benefits of riding on two wheels. And yet we’re seeing troubling statistics that point to a disinterest in motor vehicles, an issue I highlighted in an editorial a couple of years ago.

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Nova Scotia Bikers Rally In Support Of 10-Year-Old Bullying Victim

The general public is well versed in the reputation bikers have for being bad and tough, but motorcyclists know that riders – be they in sportybike leathers or biker colors – have big hearts. Why else would all of those poker runs and fundraisers for various charities take place every riding season? Well, motorcyclists also know that riders come in all shapes, sizes, genders, and ages, and here’s a story that illustrates all of the good characteristics of riders or all stripes.

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Kayo MR125 Review

Motorcycling is a lot like any other sport: to stay sharp with your skills, you actually have to go out there and practice. However, unlike many other sports, keeping your skills sharp on two wheels isn’t as easy as simply grabbing a stick or a ball and heading to the nearest court or field. In the case of track riding, taking your sportbike to the track presents a whole host of challenges.

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Duke's Den – Father's Day

I feel pangs of guilt from time to time, like I haven’t been upholding my part of an unwritten bargain. You see, I have a daughter who just turned nine, and, as much as I love motorcycling, I haven’t yet passed on that love to her. Despite a regular stream of new bikes and moto apparel around the house, she has thus far avoided the lure of the funnest form of practical transportation on wheels.

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Trizzle's Take – Embrace The Mini Bikes

Is it just me or are you glad the MotoGP season finale at Valencia is over? Finally we can stop talking about the Rossi/Marquez/Lorenzo drama (or can we?), congratulate Jorge on winning the championship (even if I do wish Valentino won the whole thing, personally), and start thinking about what 2016 has in store.

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Weekend Awesome – PSA: Keep Kids Away From Small Objects

For this week’s video, we decided to do a public service announcement for all of our readers with young children. Toddlers are curious creatures, and parents have to be especially careful about letting them around small items that they may put into their mouths and try to swallow. Or perhaps use to damage an expensive motorcyle.

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Head Shake - Youth Movement

A decade or three ago, I noticed a trend that I found kind of amusing whilst laboriously combing through an annual set of Motorcycle Industry Council stats (yawn). The average age of your typical American motorcyclist was me. And over the years I noticed something else that remained fairly constant over time – like decades of time – that demographic novelty has remained true; as I aged, so did the average age of the American motorcyclist. And finally, after the passage of a number of years, something else came ringing home, worrisome, much as I might like to deny it: I am getting quite old.

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Whatever! - Stop Worrying, the Kids Are Going to Be Fine

What’s wrong with kids today? All they wanna do is sit around and play video games. They don’t care about motorcycles.

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