We all remember our first bike. I don’t mean our first motorcycle, but rather, our first two-wheeled vehicle from when we were just wee little youngsters figuring out our way in this world. I remember mine very clearly—a clapped-out Mongoose BMX bike that was way too big for my five-year-old frame. I rode that bike until I became way too big for it, and I have fond memories of me and my dad jerry-rigging fixes to keep the thing rideable.
Needless to say, I owe pretty much my entire two-wheeled lifestyle to that janky ass Mongoose BMX bike. After all, it was on that rust bucket that I learned essential things like balance, counter-steering, and of course, skids and stoppies.
That was nearly three decades ago, and fast forward to today, I’d like to consider myself a moderately skilled, intermediate rider. And so I can’t help but imagine how much better tomorrow’s riders will be, especially given how amazing today’s kid-focused two-wheelers are.
Case in point would be Kawasaki’s brand-new Elektrode 20, a lightweight, capable, and adjustable balance bike designed for youngsters aged eight and up. Balance bikes are quite a big deal in the cycling world, as they transformed the way kids learn how to bike. Take the pedals out of the equation, and youngsters can focus all the attention in their growing brains towards one thing and one thing only: developing balance.
But the Kawasaki Elektrode 20 takes this a step further. It assumes that whoever’s riding already knows how to balance, and wants to skip the whole pedaling thing and go straight into motorcycles. It features an electric drive system with three speed modes to choose from, so your youngster can grow into the bike and explore its more powerful settings as they develop their skills. In its highest power setting, this thing pumps out 750 watts—right at the legal limit for electric bicycles in most parts of the US.
