Having been on the road for four days, senior Charles Kulage rode his motorcycle from his home in St. Charles, Missouri to Lawton, Oklahoma to visit his dad. During the 1,300 mile trip, he experienced all types of weather and had to get used to riding in the cold. Over the hours of riding he did, he learned a lot about how to drive in all conditions and stay safe when driving the least safe vehicle allowed on the road.

“It’s more fun to drive [a motorcycle instead of a car],” Kulage said. “I will ride one until the day I can no longer operate one.”

Kulage’s dad is a motorcycle driver and enrolled him in a class to learn how to drive one in the event he would need to. After taking the class, Kulage decided to go to the dealership with his dad and check out the prices. Here he found the 2012 Harley Sportster 1200 custom that he’s been driving for over a year now.

“Charlie’s motorcycle is more an extension of himself than an actual thing,” senior and friend of Kulage Jon Fitch said.

While motorcycles are very dangerous to drive, they’re cheaper insurance and gas wise. This is one reason Kulage enjoys riding his motorcycle rather than a car.

“You get more connected to the road because you have to be more concerned about every little pothole or driver that’s about to swerve out,” Kulage said.

After being on the road for so long, Kulage has learned about biker culture. Bikers are able to communicate on the road by using hand gestures as well as recognizing each other based off of patches on their jackets.

“It’s kind of like a brotherhood,” Kulage said. “It’s like being in a club or sport and there’s little things that only those people know that allow them to communicate better.”