Another one of my heros -Sammy Pierce. This is a reprint of a CYCLE magazine article on one of Sammy's projects, The American Rocket, or "P-61", after it's engine displacement, of 61 ci. Built by Pierce in '51, it utilized an 841 Indian shaft drive frame, and Ariel Square 4 front end, and a "homebrewed" hot rodded Chief engine/tranny that was rubber mounted!
The fella I bought my Indian Scout from, Joe Matt, claimed to have worked along side both Sammy Pierce, and Floyd Clymer at Indian. He claimed that Pierce tried to get Indian to replicate what he had built, but it was too late for that. I tend to believe Joe Matt's story, because he was a big an Indian fanatic at that time ('68) as Pierce was, and never quit selling and servicing Indians when the factory shut down, just like Pierce.
Read the article I saved out of an OLD Walnecks Trader. This bike is so straight forward to build, I'm surprised nobody has done it yet. As far as I know, it's still running, and last I knew, it was owned by Louis Fisher, of Monrovia, CA. - I bet the Good Dr. knows for sure.
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Rich, I seen this machine one time at the old Bill Harrah's Reno swap meet in Sparks, Nevada about late 70's I guess and then it disappeared. This is the first time I've heard it spoken of since then. I to have that magazine and it's on the cover in red and blue. It has a cool small fairing piece. Small world.
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