Post Listing Update: This Pierce did not meet reserve despite 15 bids up to $44,667.
The first four-cylinder motorcycle built in the US, the Pierce Four showed up other American brands that still looked like bicycles with motors. The Four emphasized the “motor” in motorcycle with a 696cc engine that pushed 7 horsepower through a 2-speed transmission. The hefty frame also served as the fuel tank and oil sump. This Motorcycle Mojo article suggests that less than 500 examples of the Four were built before Pierce stopped selling bikes – rumor is that the Four sold for less than the cost required to build it. This example utilizes an original Pierce motor but the frame is a replica, which might make the purchase price somewhat reasonable…
For more information on the Pierce Four, check out this profile from the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Per this article on Hemmings, only 12 original bikes are said to remain. One sold at a Copake auction in 2013 for $166,750 including the buyer’s premium.
This example is offered by an owner who has had two previous examples of the Pierce Four which are now at the Motorcyclepedia Museum. The seller calls it a “Pierce Arrow”, though that name actually refers to the “Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company” which was the parent of Pierce Motorcycle Company. The bike is in dry storage in the owner’s living room, though he says it runs and shifts. The seller is an AMCA member and judge who notes that the bike will come with a bill of sale.
Find this Pierce for sale in Toms River, New Jersey with bidding up to $43,100 and the reserve not yet met