By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Some Fort Hays State University faculty are hoping to pass on their love of the open road to students in the newly formed Tigers Motorcycle Club.
Sponsor for the group, Dennis King, FHSU assistant vice president of student affairs, has been riding for years and has a large collection of bikes.
He said the joy of riding is all about the experience of the ride.
“You see, smell and feel things that you just don’t when you are in a vehicle,” he said. “You are much more aware of your surroundings. When you do ride, you are much more in touch with the road — when you are taking a curve, going around a turn.
“You can be going 60 miles an hour on a windy day, and the wind is behind you and it is like you’re standing still. You can be going 60 miles an hour and it is just an awesome surreal feeling. … It’s just the thrill of the ride.”
King has a Suzuki, Yamaha, a few Hondas and a Harley, but his favorite bike is a 2005 Triumph America.
“It was one of those that I snuck down to Wichita and bought, and then called home and said, ‘Hey, I bought this bike.’ Depending on the reaction, I was going to come home or not come home,” he said.
Turning a wrench, King said has been his midlife crisis. Ten years ago he couldn’t do anything with a motor. King and a friend work on bikes for a hobby, and that is how he has built up his collection.
“Each bike is unique. Each brand is unique, and each one is a thrill to ride,” he said.
The club already has 18 members in its first semester, but they hope to grow.
The goal of the club, King said, is safe rides and educating young people about maintenance and safety. King hopes to grow the club to the point where they can have regular rides and attend area bike events together.
The group recently took a tour of Doerflers’ Harley-Davidson in Hays.
Club President Austin Krejdl, senior in agribusiness, only has a moped right now, but he is saving up for a motorcycle.
“I really like being on two-wheels,” he said. “I like being out on the open road. It is relaxing too after a long day to go on a ride.”
Tessa Stump, junior in animal science and agribusiness, also has dreamed of having her own bike ever since she rode her dad’s Screaming Eagle Harley.
She grew up around horses in Funk, Nebraska, and compared riding a bike to riding a horse.
“I love the fact that I can be on the open road and just enjoy it,” she said, “so it is kind of more peaceful for me.”
Even though Stump doesn’t have her own bike yet, she said she has enjoyed the club.
“It gives me one day out of my week to go out and do something I actually enjoy,” she said.
The club is open to FHSU students, faculty and staff. You can sign up for the club by logging onto to your TigerLink account and searching for Tigers Motorcycle Club.