If words such as two-stroke or four-stroke engine, Rotax-powered road racer or Husaberg-powered 600cc flat-track special are part of your everyday vocabulary, you might be interested to know that Penn State now has a motorcycle club.

Club President Drew ElBardissi (senior-premedicine) said the club's goals are to improve "the image of motorcycle riders in the community and to provide motorcycle riders with the skills necessary to operate a motorcycle on the street."

Membership, which is open to anyone and requires no dues, is now up to more than 50, ElBardissi said.

Levels of ability range from those like ElBardissi, who race motorcycles, to other people who are simply interested and don't even own a motorcylce of their own.

The club's activities include group rides, community events, fundraisers and motorcycle-performance safety schools, where members attend an eight-hour track session to learn more about how a motorcycle operates and also responds to rider input, ElBardissi said.

Secretary Sol Lothe (senior-architecture) is especially satisfied with the club's group dynamics so far.

"There is such enthusiasm from everyone who's been there so far. It's a great way to spread knowledge and contact," he said.

ElBardissi acknowledges that some social stigmas are associated with motorcycles.

"A lot of people have a negative attitude toward motorcycles and specifically sport bikes," he said.

"People think that sport bikes are capable of going so fast that they shouldn't even be on the road. People need to know that the majority of riders who have sport bikes aren't like that. They just enjoy motorcycle riding, and that is what the club is trying to portray."

ElBardissi also recognizes the dangers of the sport.

"If we can give our members all they need to ride defensively on the street and to react in a panic situation, that is the best we can hope to achieve," he said.

Although the majority of the members are male, about five women also are enrolled, ElBardissi said.

"Some of them feel intimidated at first, but everyone fits in pretty quickly, and everyone gets along so well that that isn't even a factor anymore," he said.

Included in the club's upcoming agenda is an informational session on how to prepare a motorcycle for storage in the winter, motorcyclists' "off-season."

The club also is trying to get as many interested members through the safety training program as possible before the weather will prohibit them from doing so.

The club was founded early last summer and has just completed its third official meeting. The officers said they have a few goals in mind.

"Eventually I'd like to get us affiliated with the American Motorcyclist Association and charity rides and events," Lothe said.

The club meets weekly. For more information about meeting times or membership, contact ElBardissi at axe142@psu.edu.