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IN THE NEWS HARLEY-DAVIDSON LAUNCHES ITS ALL-NEW ADVENTURE BIKE

By Scott High

The motorcycle on the cover of this issue, if you are not familiar with it, is the all-new Harley-Davidson Pan America. It is a 1250cc adventure touring bike which is a very popular segment of motorcycling. Adventure touring bikes are very capable on the street, but also capable off road. It’s a bike you could ride 1000 miles in a day on the road and the next day ride gravel or dirt roads and mild trails, and by all accounts, it’s a very good ADV motorcycle.

The Pan America has been in development for many years, it uses Harley’s new liquid cooled DOHC 4 valves per cylinder, with variable valve timing, 60° V twin 1250cc Revolution Max engine. Although it’s a 60° v twin, offsets for the connecting rods allow it to have a 90° firing order. It produces 150 hp and 94 lb-ft of torque with a redline of 9500 rpm.

The Pan America comes in “Standard” and “Special” versions. Both models have cruise control, 5 preprogrammed electronic ride modes with a customizable mode, and much like RDRS equipped touring bikes they have linked brakes, cornering ABS, lean-angle aware traction control, Hill Hold Control, a Drag-Torque Slip Control clutch, LED lighting, a 4-way hand-adjustable windscreen, a 6.8” color TFT display with Bluetooth for calls and music, and navigation on the screen.

The Special adds a lot of electronic goodies. It has electronically adjustable semi-active front and rear suspension, it senses the rider’s weight and adjust the suspension on the fly, it can even drop the ride height 1-2 inches when you come to a stop depending on the rear preload it selected for you. The special models come with aluminum skid plate, engine guards, hand guards, heated grips, center stand, steering damper, multi-position rear brake pedal, tire pressure monitoring, ambient air temp, two additional customizable ride modes, and a Daymaker adaptive cornering headlight.

The bikes are being delivered to dealers as you read this, and we will do a ride review when we’ve had a chance to spend some time on it, but we put the motorcycle on the cover because it is a significant departure from the Motor Company’s bread and butter. We hope it’s a sign that HarleyDavidson is adapting to stay relevant and be around for another 118 years.

AT CUMBERLAND MOUNTAIN GENERAL STORE

By Indian Rider Bill

My usual rides this time of year include a trip to Northern Georgia for pizza and a gem of a place East of Gatlinburg for smoked coffee and smoked Blackberry Cobbler. We’ll save that for another time though.

I want to head West for a ride, so I aim my Indian out of Knoxville and towards Clarkrange TN, indirectly of course, and find myself at the Cumberland Mountain General Store. The store with its original 1923 fixtures, creaky well-worn stout wooden floors and welcoming façade doesn’t lend itself to its secret in the back, The Rock-A-Billy Diner.

As you enter the store, the door to the diner, let’s call it a time portal, is straight ahead down the aisle of antiques, knives, fishing tackle, grain and flour sacks and just passing the huge barrel woodstove, the diner comes into view through the glass door. An authentic juke box on the far wall and a glimpse of Elvis is all I need to lure me in.

Upon entering the diner all my senses come alive. The music coming from the juke box tells me its real, the ole timey soda fountain on the right is full with people eating, some enjoying one of the many fountain treats (Root Beer & Coke Floats, Elvis Mudslide Sundaes and a Malted Milkshake to name a few). Its walls are an eclectic assortment of 50’s memorabilia (78 & 45 records, tin signs, more Elvis, a guitar, Coke signs, muscle cars and more). And then there are the tables, bright red vinyl covered cushy comfy chairs placed at the green Formica topped tables most of us grew up with. All nicely wrapped up with the black and white checkered tile floor.

The whirr from the malt machine snaps me out of my visual trance and I realize I’m still standing and almost forgot why I came here- to eat!

Todd, the owner, cook, chief bottle washer and today waiter, greets me with a genuine down home welcome and hands me a menu. It’s really no frills- burgers, slaw dogs, chicken sandwiches, fries and onion rings and then I see it, the fried sweet hickory bologna sandwich. No eatery in TN worth its salt wouldn’t have a fried bologna sandwich. I’m all in!

Todd comes back around and we talk motorcycles and he tells me about the car cruise-ins, flea markets, fish fry’s and more. Clearly there’s more than just a store here. Again, I’m reminded by my stomach that I came here to eat. Bologna and hand dipped onion rings for me.

My order arrives in a retro red basket with white and red checkered paper. What do we eat with first? Our eyes. And my eyes are telling me I made a great choice. The sweet hickory bologna with lettuce, tomato and mayo is packed high that it almost topples out, even though the perfectly grilled buns are working hard to keep it all in. The onion rings are hand made perfection. Not bad for no frills, not bad at all.

Listening to the juke box as I enjoy my lunch, I know I’ll have to step back through the door, that time portal, to be on my way, but for now all is good, simple good.

If you’re looking to run some great roads in and around Clarkrange, be sure to stop in and see Todd at Rock-A-Billy Diner at Cumberland Mountain General Store, located at 6807 South York Hwy in Clarkrange, TN.

If you are out riding to eat and see us, please come up and tell us your favorite places to go when you’re hungry and thirsty. “Will Ride to Eat” is an ongoing article in Thunder Roads® Magazine of Tennessee and we want to put the spotlight on the great history and variety of Tennessee’s biker friendly establishments.