On the western end of the famed “Snake” (U.S. 421), riders will find one of the region’s top motorcycle dealerships, featuring several brands of bikes and a welcoming environment for a rest stop while touring East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
Stateline Motorsports, part of the Friendship Family of Dealerships, lies on the Virginia side of the historic bordertown of Bristol.
“We really work hard to service and take care of every type of rider that’s out there. We can take care of the sport bike rider, the cruiser, the dual sport, the adventure bike as well as our side-by-side customers,” said Scotty Blitsch, part of the dealership’s sales crew.
Stateline Motorsports attracts motorcyclists from across the area and frequently hosts group rides, cookouts and other social activities for all types of riders.
“It’s a one-stop shop. We want to make this more of a destination, as opposed to just a motorcycle shop. We have events here. This year, we’re really going to focus a lot on some beginner ADV rides,” Blitsch said.
Stateline Motorsports offers several brands and styles of motorcycles in a handsome showroom featuring a club room for groups to gather next to a covered patio complete with outdoor fireplace.
“We opened in June 2015 with just a few small brands. We’ve branched out. We started out with Indian, (Victory), Polaris and Slingshot. Since we’ve added Triumph, Beta, Kawasaki and Royal Enfield,” owner Mick Marshall said.
Stateline Motorsports frequently hosts demo days where riders can take a spin on the latest models from major manufacturers, from street bikes to off-road machines. A Beta demo day is planned for March 26.
“I guess the thing we like is we’re not catering to one brand or one style of rider. We have a wide variety,” Marshall said. “We like all motorcycles. We don’t care what brand it is.”
Marshall said Stateline Motorsports will sponsor a demo day in April with Beta, the famed Italian brand of off-road, motocross, enduro and trials motorcycles. Other demo days are planned, and the staff urges people to check Stateline’s social media sites for updates.
“Mick has built this place up to be the way that it is because of the vast type of riding that’s here. You’ve got the Snake right here. You’ve got the ADV and dual sport guys who are off-road. It’s all here,” Blitsch said.
Indeed, Bristol serves as a great hub for motorcycling with scenic backroads across the spine of the Appalachian Mountains in Western North Carolina or northward to the Back of the Dragon, Virginia Route 16. Adventure riders will find plenty of gravel roads and off-road trails in the area.
Motorcyclists touring the area will be comforted by the knowledge Stateline Motorsports service center can handle most repairs if needed.
“We have a full-service shop here. We have people coming in from out-of-state to service their bikes. We have a great group back there,” Blitsch said.
Also in the works for 2025 is a showing of upcoming documentary about the new Southeast Backcountry Discovery Route on March 15. The SEBDR is the 14th route in the BDR series of cross-state dual-sport motorcycle adventures.
Stateline Motorsports previously hosted showings of the popular adventure motorcycling series.
“We have a great turnout (for the BDR movies). We typically will see 45 to 60 people. The parking lot is full of ADV bikes,” Blitsch said.
