Thanks for the tour, Gary!
Check out the description of the Pierce at
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1910-pierce.htm including "...The 1910 Pierce motorcycle was
the sophomore four-cylinder effort from the company that built America's first four-cylinder motorcycle. Unfortunately, the design -- and the company -- would be short-lived.
In an era of single-cylinder motorcycles, the 1910 Pierce stood out for its four-cylinder engine.
Introduced in 1909, Pierce's four-cylinder model was influenced by the FN four built in Belgium.
The low-slung Pierce, however, looked far more modern than the FN, and was a high-quality bike built around a
heavy tubular frame that doubled as the fuel and oil tanks. Power came from a T-head engine displacing 700 cc -- about 42 cubic inches.
The engine was a stressed part of the frame and drove the rear wheel through an enclosed shaft, another American first. Early models were direct drive, with no clutch and no gearbox; in 1910, a clutch and two-speed transmission were added.
Pierce's four was an expensive machine that saw limited sales. Though a less-expensive single-cylinder model of similar design was offered as well, both were rumored to cost more than their retail prices to build, and financial shortfalls forced the company to close its doors in 1913."
And more...
From bird cages to hydraulic valve lifters, Pierce was a fascinating company. Check this out from
http://historytogo.utah.gov/salt_lake_tribune/in_another_time/101793.html about their 1931-designed V-12's performance on the Salt Flats in 1933: "With all the protocols observed, the timing instruments calibrated and the track measured, Jenkins roared off on his 24-hour endurance trial. When it was over, he had averaged 118-plus miles an hour driving something under 3,000 miles in the process. It was a prodigious achievement--which he promptly surpassed in 1934 when he clocked 127.22 mph for the 24-hour mark. That shattered all existing records in the 10-mile, 100-mile, 100-kilometer, three-hour, six-hour, 12-hour and 24-hour classes."
When Pierce Arrow was liquidated at auction in 1938, Seagrave Fire Apparatus bought the V-12, added redundant ignition, and sold it in new firetrucks until, if memory serves, 1969.