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Sure, this is just a promotional video from Yamaha, but I can't help but watch it and think, "Man, I wish I'd had that introduction to motorcycles when I was a little kid."
The video highlights Yamaha's programs in Japan, told through the eyes of employee Rie Nishimori. The program introduces young children to the basics of riding on PW50s, with the direct involvement of their parents. For the kids, Nishimori points out, mastering the little minibike gives them confidence in other aspects of life. For the parents, she likens it to watching your child walk or crawl for the first time.
From either side, the memories are lasting.
The video also shows a program for older children, who actually assemble a motor and then kick-start it to life.
It's obvious why Yamaha would want to do this. As Nishimori explains, "It'll really be the end if we stop doing this. I really feel that we can't let the flame go out."
Look, I'm among the least sentimental guys in motorcycling. I ride because I enjoy it personally, but I have no illusions that it's some essential part of the human experience or that it will be around forever. Times, tastes and technologies change. Teaching your kids to ride a PW50 will someday be as relevant as teaching youngsters to make tools from woolly mammoth tusks, regardless of how important that knowledge was at one point.
Still, it's natural for all of us to want to pass on the things we love to at least one more generation. This video is a good example of that.
