TRAVEL PENNSYLVANIA & VIRGINIA
Only the BACK ROADS
Taking the long way through Appalachia
STORY BY JEFF DAVISON
PHOTOS BY JEFF DAVISON & SCOT T PRICE
FAST FACTS
AMERICA’S OLDEST BREWERY
In 1828, a young David G. Yuengling arrived from Wuerttemberg, Germany, and settled in the coal-mining town of Pottsville, PA. In 1829 he started the Eagle Brewing Company. The name of the brewery changed in 1873 to D.G. Yuengling and Son when son Fredrick became a partner. The brewery is now managed by the sixth generation of the Yuengling family.
NORTH AMERICA’S OLDEST MOUNTAINS
The Appalachian range begins at the northern tip of Newfoundland and runs some 3,300 km southwestward to Central Alabama. Its formation began about 1.1 billion years ago, making it the oldest major mountain range on the continent.
By most people’sreckoning, any day that begins at a brewery and ends in intercourse is a good day. In our case, that meant a tour of Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville and a stay in the town of Intercourse, PA — minus the whoopie. My three companions — Gary Price, his brother Scott, and friend Dave Ramm — were each on very different machines: a 2012 BMW R1200 RT, a 2010 Victory Vision Eight Ball, and a 2012 Harley Davidson Electra Glide Classic, respectively. For my part, this would be a long-term test ride of Suzuki’s all-new GSX-S1000 GX.
From the moment I had started it up at the dealership, I knew the GX could get me in trouble. Just the superbike roar of the 1000 cc K5 engine was enough to rev my pulse. My inner hooligan was undeniably nudged. A little deserted back road experimentation had the bike rocketing from zero to 100 km/h in three seconds — and to 160 in another three. I chose not to go much higher but top speed is reportedly north of 220 km/h. I will say that at 170, a further twist of the throttle and Gigi (I’d already named her) still pulled aggressively. The rider geometry on the other hand was quite relaxed. No longer would you have to lie with your head down and bum up to feel the thrill of a crotch rocket. It was the best of both worlds.