1910 Pierce Four Motorcycle
First 4-cylinder motorcycle manufactured in the USA.
Purpose built innovative frame with integrated fuel and oil tanks.
Side-valve engine with 2-speed transmission and shaft drive
(Pedals were for starting the engine only).
This beautifully restored Pierce 4 is an “All Star” member of the Audrain Collection, shown in 3 previous exhibits: “Horseless to Horsepower” in 2019, “Balance and Power, The World on Two Wheels” in early 2021, and most recently in “Early Landmarks in Automotive Engineering” at the beginning of 2023. Clearly, this very special motorcycle offers engineering innovations that set it well apart from both motorcycles and automobiles of its time. The use of a specialized frame and powerplant on the Pierce specific to motorcycles served to inspire the transition of motorized two wheeled transportation away from crude industrial motors grafted to bicycle frames.
Produced by The Pierce Cycle Company, an offshoot of the Pierce Arrow Motor Car Company, makers of some of the finest cars of the era, the Pierce 4 revolutionized motorcycles in the US. Founder Percy Pierce was intrigued by a Belgian made FN 4-cylinder motorcycle he purchased while in Europe. Up until this point, motorcycles made in the US were very basic adaptations of bicycle frames with either single- or two-cylinder engines essentially bolted to the frame offering little in comfort, safety, or reliability. The FN used an inline 4-cylinder engine-oriented front to back on the bike but the engine employed atmospheric inlet valves that lacked efficiency. When Pierce commissioned a new engine for his own creation, he took a page from the automotive technologies employed by his father’s cars and designed the bike engine to use side valves in what was known as a “T-Head” configuration. The result was a smooth and reliable powerplant that offered a compression release to facilitate starting.
The length of the new engine presented another engineering challenge as it would not be compatible with existing bicycle style frames. Pierce’s solution was a unique 3 ½” tubular frame mated to a front suspension fork, with both the fuel and oil tank contained within the frame’s tubing. Also included was a two-speed transmission that could be “unclutched” with a hand lever to facilitate starting with chain driven pedals; however, final drive to the rear wheel was accomplished by an enclosed shaft driving a ring and pinion gear on the wheel hub. This level of sophistication made a motorcycle far smoother and safer than competing machines, but it came at a very high price. In 1910, the cost of the Pierce 4 was $350 where at the same time, a Model T Ford cost $525. Fewer than 500 Pierce motorcycles were produced when production ended in 1914.
Specifications:
Engine: 696cc inline 4-cylinder side-valve 4-stroke
Transmission: two-speed manual with shaft-drive and hand-operated clutch
Horsepower: 7 hp
Top Speed: 60 mph
Weight: 275 lbs
Suspension: Front: leading-link sprung fork, Rear: rigid
Tires: 28-inch diameter x 2.5 inch, pneumatic