By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The DAV Vintage Bike Show brought bikers from across the region to raise money for a new van for the DAV.
The organization needs to raise $15,000 toward the van and then the national DAV will supply the remaining funding for the van.
The van is used to bring veterans from outlying areas into Hays for appointments and to bring veterans from Hays and the surrounding region to the Bob Dole VA Medical Center in Wichita.
Doug Nichols of Palco is a Veterans of the Vietnam War. He was wounded in combat during the Tet Offensive and received the Purple Heart and the Silver Star. He has been a member of the DAV every since.
Nichols brought his 1977 Yamaha, which he bought new in 1977. He still rides the bike.
“It’s a nostalgia thing,” he said. “It is an older dirt bike. I had similar bikes when I was younger. In 1977, this was brand new — the ultimate bike. I bought it then and have enjoyed it every since.”
Nichols also has three other road bikes. He has ridden with the Run For the Wall group to Washington, D.C., every May since 2006, but will but will be sitting this year out.
“It is total freedom,” Nicholas said of riding. “You are on your own, and you have to use your own ingenuity if something goes wrong. It is nothing like being in the cage of a car. I like to call them cagers — people who drive cars. It’s the freedom of it and the adventure and being able to interact in the environment more than you do in a car.”
John Weber of Denver brought four bikes to the show — an 1947 Chief Indian, 1940 Sport Scout, 1938 Junior Scout and 1929 Henderson with a side car.
Weber said he married into a bike family. His father-in-law rode the Henderson until he was 84. His mother-in-law and father-in-law rode a 1928 Super X Excelsior while they were dating.
Weber’s favorite bike of the four is the Sport Scout, which was all in boxes when he bought it.
Weber rides all of his classic bikes.
“They’re different,” he said. “I get on a modern bike, and I’m bored.”
The Henderson has a manual spark advance. As the motor RPM goes up, the spark tends to lag, so you have to manually advance it.
Weber said he enjoys going to shows and has already been to more than a dozen this year. He is president of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. He also likes to go on club rides.
“You are in the space,” he said of riding. “When you are in a car, you’re in a box. Inside that box is your space. When you are on a motorcycle, you’re not restricted.”
Marty Patterson brought the van and 1926 Harley-Davidson JD that he and his brother, Pat, used to ride in the 3,500 mile Antique Motorcycle Club of America’s 2018 Cannonball. The brothers will not be participating this year, but they do plan to ride in the 2020 Cannonball.
The Patterson brothers bought the 1926 in Wichita from the original owner’s son, who was 83 at the time. The brothers rebuilt and restored the bike from the frame up.
He also brought to the show a 1946 Harley UL.
“I have been riding bikes since I was 8 or 9 years old, and every year they got bigger and faster and faster. I found myself seeing how fast I could make it to Sturgis. As I have gotten older now, I jus wanted to slow down. These bikes run about 45 or 55 miles per hour. You slow down and enjoy the day. You enjoy the environment. It is a whole different style than how quick can you get there.”
He said on the older bikes, you ride them for a couple of hours and then wrench on them for 30 minutes.
“It’s just more of a journey on the old bikes, and that’s what I enjoy doing right now,” he said.
Gary Shormam of Hays brought to the show his 1928 and 1940 Harley Davidsons. He started riding on his family’s farm when he was about 8 years old.
“It’s fun to ride. It is fun to find the old ones and bring back some history of how motorcycles got started,” he said.
Shorman said he likes to see how the motorcycle has progressed.
“The difference even between the ’40 and the ’28 is big,” he said. … “How they just advanced year, after year, after year to become better and now the new ones are like cars today.”
He said the 1928’s engine is fairly simple.
“When you look at that, it is a pretty simple single-cylinder motorcycle engine that runs that,” he said. “There’s not a lot to it. You have a battery, a spark plug. Put some oil in it and gas, kick it and away you go.”
Shorman said the appeal of riding is being outside.
“Many times you are in meetings all day long and you are working in different areas that are inside — being outside on the weekend and playing with these …” Shorman said was the reason why he owns the bikes.
“The other thing is you can take them apart. You can take them apart and put them back together. You can take the head off that and put it back on, clean it up. The new stuff you really have to take to a real professional. It is a real engine you can work on.”
All of the men said they enjoyed talking to other motorcycle owners, but the real reason they came was to help raise money for the DAV.
Editor’s note: Gary Shorman is the president and CEO of Eagle Communications, which owns and operates the Hays Post.