#rudge

Rudge Special 1937. - source Bring a Trailer.

306 Rudge Sports Special (1938) DNY 413 by Robert Knight Via Flickr: Rudge Sports Special (1937-39) Engine 495cc 4 valve OHV Registration Number DNY 413 (Glamorgan) RUDGE ALBUM www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157633424558719... This model was built for only a few years from 1937 until the marque’s extinction. The baseline Special model could be bought for £69.10s, and the lucky owner went home with a 495cc four-valve ohv engine of 84.5mm by 88mm and an Aerolite, close-clearance, non-slap piston. All the valve gear were enclosed in a detachable cylinder head which could be removed while leaving the petrol tank in situ. The Special also incorporated dry sump lubrication, four-speed gearbox and electrics provided courtesy of a BT-H magneto and Miller dynamo. The brakes were unusually effective on a pre-war machine, thanks to Rudge’s linked system which used a beefy eight-inch brake at the front partnered with a 7.5-inch drum at the back. For an extra £1 Rudge quality finish, multi-coat superfine enamel’ could be provided in blue or maroon rather than the standard black. However for another £2.10s the Sports Special could be further enhanced by having smaller toolboxes, a rear mudguard with a special valence, handlebars and front mudguard from the sporty Ulster model and, most telling of all, upswept exhaust pipes. So with machines of this calibre and a glorious sporting heritage why did Rudge disappear in 1939. The answer lies back in 1937, when Rudge Whitworth, a company that could trace its origins back to the 1870s, was bought out by HMV, itself a subsidiary of EMI. The rationale was that HMV workers in its factory in Hayes, Middlesex, could be gainfully employed manufacturing Rudge motorcycles during their quiet periods; the Rudge factory in Coventry would meanwhile close and be transferred to a new motorcycle manufacturing base built in Hayes. However WW2 intervened and EMI needed the motorcycle space for building radars and so in 1939 Rudge Whitworth motorcycles effectively expired. Diolch am 97,582,556 o olygiadau gwych, mae pob un ohonynt yn cael eu gwerthfawrogi'n fawr. Thanks for 97,582,556 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated. Shot 21.08.2022, at Lupin Farm, Kings Bromley, Staffordshire REF 163-306