
Pierce Four
Years: 1909 – 1914
Pierce built one of the world’s first inline-four motorcycles, applying luxury-car thinking to two wheels. The machine featured a large-diameter tubular frame doubling as oil and fuel reservoirs, refined controls, and smooth, long-legged performance. It was expensive and exquisitely finished, aimed at wealthy early adopters who wanted the most advanced transport of the era. Production lasted only a few years—the economics of such ambition were harsh—but the Pierce Four’s elegance and engineering courage left a deep mark. Historically, Pierce proves that premium road manners and mechanical serenity were motorcycling goals from the start, not inventions of the modern era.