Some students allowed to use biker jargon
'I owned a truck before that only got 12 miles per gallon, but my motorcycle gets 70'; purchases that go hand-in-hand with popular American lifestyle
Christina Stephens
Issue date: 10/2/08 Section: News
Growing up in the communist country Slovenia, Jernej Šuštar always saw motorcycles as unattainable luxuries.
But this summer, after living in America for eight years, Šuštar, an economics lecturer, purchased an '83 Honda Nighthawk motorcycle.
He said that purchase goes hand-in-hand with the lifestyle he adopted in America.
"On a bike, you're freer," he said. "I've seen the benefits of the free market and how freedom brings about innovation. It releases a lot of good things."
This semester saw a significant increase in motorcycle usage on campus, as a handful of professors and students purchased them over the summer - some for recreation, others for budget reasons.
Junior Jeremiah Krepps said his Yamaha 650 Special saves him money with its low gas consumption.
"I owned a truck before that only got 12 miles per gallon, but my motorcycle gets 70," he said.
Unfortunately, Krepps can only benefit from those savings for half the year at best, he said, as the weather won't permit him to ride it during colder months.
"During the winter I'm going to put my bike into storage and bum rides off friends to get around," he said.
Junior Andrew Little said motorcycling in bad weather presents safety concerns.
"It's more dangerous, especially at night and when it rains," he said.
But junior Michael Black said he would usually rather experience the bad weather than shelter himself in a car.
"I like being out in the open air, out there in the environment," he said.
Šuštar agreed.
"In biker jargon, we call cars 'cages,' " he said. "On a bike you can participate in the environment more. You can feel the temperature changes from various inclinations and everything is much more intense - including the smell of roadkill - but at least you're not in a cage, you're participating."
But this summer, after living in America for eight years, Šuštar, an economics lecturer, purchased an '83 Honda Nighthawk motorcycle.
He said that purchase goes hand-in-hand with the lifestyle he adopted in America.
"On a bike, you're freer," he said. "I've seen the benefits of the free market and how freedom brings about innovation. It releases a lot of good things."
This semester saw a significant increase in motorcycle usage on campus, as a handful of professors and students purchased them over the summer - some for recreation, others for budget reasons.
Junior Jeremiah Krepps said his Yamaha 650 Special saves him money with its low gas consumption.
"I owned a truck before that only got 12 miles per gallon, but my motorcycle gets 70," he said.
Unfortunately, Krepps can only benefit from those savings for half the year at best, he said, as the weather won't permit him to ride it during colder months.
"During the winter I'm going to put my bike into storage and bum rides off friends to get around," he said.
Junior Andrew Little said motorcycling in bad weather presents safety concerns.
"It's more dangerous, especially at night and when it rains," he said.
But junior Michael Black said he would usually rather experience the bad weather than shelter himself in a car.
"I like being out in the open air, out there in the environment," he said.
Šuštar agreed.
"In biker jargon, we call cars 'cages,' " he said. "On a bike you can participate in the environment more. You can feel the temperature changes from various inclinations and everything is much more intense - including the smell of roadkill - but at least you're not in a cage, you're participating."
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