Mecum’s 2024 Monterey auction is this week, and while the event is primarily focused on cars and trucks, some 60-70 motorcycles will be crossing the auction block. One of the rarest and most interesting machines will be the comprehensively restored 1912 Pierce Four you see here.
As some of you may know, the Pierce Four was the first four-cylinder motorcycle designed and built in the United States, featuring a 696cc T-head inline-four touted as “vibrationless.” The Pierce Cycle Company was linked to the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company, best known for their luxury cars, and Percy Pierce, son of founder George Pierce and a successful racing driver, was placed in charge of the new motorcycle company. On a trip to Europe, he bought and shipped home a Belgian FN Four, which would serve as inspiration for the Pierce design.
However, the Pierce Four would be no carbon copy of the Belgian machine. The bike’s innovations were many, including a fluid-in-frame design constructed of large diameter steel tubing. The copper-coated upper tubing (top and seat tubes) held the fuel, while the downtube held the engine oil, thereby eliminating the need for separate oil or gas tanks.
Moreover, the engine was used as a stressed member in the chassis, and unlike the FN, it was a T-head side-valve motor with cam-driven intake valves — a vast improvement over the Belgian design, which used atmospheric pressure to open the inlet valves.
The original 1909 models had fixed gearing and no clutch, but in 1910, a two-speed transmission was introduced. The 696cc engine was rated at 7 horsepower, some 40% more than the FN, enough ponies to propel the 275-pound shaft-drive bike up to 60 mph.
“The Pierce Four oozes top quality, each component’s design re-thought and then hand-crafted in the factory and not bought from a catalog as much of the competition was doing, becoming merely assemblers rather than manufacturers.” –National Motorcycle Museum
Whereas most motorcycles of the era betrayed their bicycle origins with flimsy-looking thin steel frames and small single-cylinder engines or the rare twin, the Pierce Four was much beefier and more imposing.
Not surprisingly, given the bike’s size, technology, build quality, and the Pierce-Arrow luxury DNA, it was also more expensive than other motorbikes on the market, costing $325 to $450 — a price that put the bike well out of reach of all but “more prosperous sportsmen” (Ted Hodgdon, Motorcycling’s Golden Age of the Fours).
Unfortunately, the Pierce’s technical innovations weren’t enough to keep it alive. Word had it the bike cost more to produce than the (already expensive) sale price, and Pierce had trouble finding a sufficient market for the machine. Other issues arose, including the death of Percy Pierce’s father.
“The death of George Pierce, a company bankruptcy, Percy’s resignation and eventual return rocked the company. At the same time, the public’s appetite for expensive motorcycles was rapidly dwindling.” -AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame
By 1914, the Pierce Cycle Company was no more, and only 500 Pierce Fours had been built. Of course, that makes them very rare and valuable today. This 1912 example was comprehensively restored by the team at Fred Lange Restorations, who’ve tackled many projects from this era.
“Fred Lange – Custom Bike Builder of “Pre-School” Early American made Antique Motorcycles. A place where Magic happens. Located on the Central Coast of California Specializing in the Restoration of Antique Harley Davidson and Indian Board Track Racers. Also specializing in a complete line of Replacement and Restoration parts. Resurrecting the Past and Preserving the Future“
The bike is expected to fetch $100-$125,000 at the Mecum auction this week in Monterey, California. That’s a bit rich for our blood, but if you’ve got six figures to spend on the USA’s first four-cylinder motorcycle, you can view the listing here and register to bid.
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