Will getting preschoolers on bicycles mean more motorcyclists or is it just a good thing to do?

I never had a motorcycle as a kid, but my bike was a big deal to me. I rode it to elementary school and it got me home from after-school activities in junior high. Even if I was just riding around the neighborhood, it gave me the feeling of being able to explore a little. I can't say it led directly to me becoming a motorcyclist, but when various factors combined to get me to buy my first motorcycle, I instantly recalled those childhood feelings of independence and the desire to go see places I hadn't seen before.

All Kids Bike was started in 2017 by the Strider Education Foundation, a non-profit formed by the Strider company that makes balance bikes for small kids that can be converted to pedal bikes as they grow and gain skills. The All Kids Bike Learn-to-Ride Kindergarten PE Program provides training for the teacher, a set of 24 bikes, a storage rack, and additional support, all at reduced cost. The series of lessons take the kids from learning to walk the bike to eventually pedaling. The program is now active in more than 1,000 schools in all 50 states.

The motorcycle industry has gotten on board. One of the supporters of All Kids Bike is the Ryan Dungey Foundation. The kid-focused non-profit formed by the four-time Supercross and four-time motocross AMA champion has funded the All Kids Bike program in more than 30 schools.

Yamaha is another big supporter and recently donated $100,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District through the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative, which also provides grants for trail maintenance and maintaining access to public lands. In addition to providing the bicycles, Yamaha brought out some guys who are highly skilled on two wheels to give the kids some tips: motocross champions Eli Tomac, Ryan Villopoto, and Damon Bradshaw, plus bicycle racing Hall of Famer Brian Lopes.

"You never forget when you learned to ride a bike, and I'll never forget seeing how excited these kids were when we showed them the fleet of shiny new bikes and gave them a first ride," said Tomac. "Riding bikes is one of the most fun things you can do when you're a kid, and it's also a really important skill that gives you confidence and a sense of freedom you just can't get any other way."

All Kids Bike has also partnered with the American Flat Track and MotoAmerica racing series. Just like the motocross guys visiting the schools in Los Angeles, flat-track stars were on hand when bikes were delivered to an elementary school in Florida as the racing season began and AFT has also helped raise money for the program. At the recent MotoAmerica round at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, one of the many fan activities available was the Kids Zone where young race fans could get on Strider bikes and try to emulate some of the skills they were seeing on track. Additionally, numerous motorcyclists are official "ambassadors" for All Kids Bike, ranging from motocross racer Cody Webb to flat-track and roadracer J.D. Beach to Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee and pioneering woman rider Cristine Sommer-Simmons, just to name a few examples.

Other motorcycle industry supporters include S&S Cycles, parts and accessories companies Klock Werks (president Brian Klock is on the All Kids Ride board of directors) and Baxter's Garage, multiple Harley-Davidson and Indian dealerships, Troy Lee Designs, the DRT Racing team, and KTM and Fox Racing in partnership with the Ryan Dungey Foundation. Local motorcycle events have also supported the program, such as the Legacy Ride in Arkansas.

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Will getting preschoolers on bicycles today lead to more motorcyclists in the future? Maybe. But even if it doesn't, the benefits of bicycling, both physical and emotional, are real, so getting kids active on bicycles and giving them the confidence that I gained as a boy, riding around on my green single-speed, are worthy goals.