Didn't Burke get a nintendo 64 that year? Wouldn't that be a 'wow' gift?
Think back to when you were 9-10 years of age. The bike is huge and not wrapped, he sees it when he is peeking downstairs before the parents wake up and is excited. Then he finds out it is not his. The N64 would be a small wrapped package in comparison. In a child's eyes the N64 would be just like the doll; a small gift, equal in size and therefore not nearly as good as a big bike.
While the N64 may have been a much sought after item, the visual was not the same and the disappointment felt when told that neither of the bikes were for him would have been crushing. He saw it, was excited about it and had some time to think of it in all it's glory before the bruising reality hit that the grown up bike was for his mom and the other was for his sister.