Win a dashcam

Rudge Whitworth Cycles was founded in Britain in 1894 through the merger of two bicycle manufacturers, the Whitworth Cycle Company of Birmingham that had been founded by Charles Pugh and his two sons, Charles and John, and the Rudge Cycle Company of Coventry, originally founded by Daniel Rudge of Wolverhampton.

The company began selling re-badged Werner motorcycles in 1909 and developed its own machine in 1911 with a 500cc, a single-cylinder, inlet-over-exhaust engine. In 1912, the company introduced the Multigear belt-and-pulley continuously-variable transmission which was used on record-breaking bikes and the company’s first TT win in 1914.

Rudge continued to build its reputation for quality, reliability, innovation and sporting achievements by producing the first four-valve cylinder head on a 350cc engine and its own four-speed gearbox in 1923 to replace the Jardine unit it had used since 1915. The 350cc produced more power than the 500cc it replaced. Coupled brakes were introduced in 1925 and massive 8-inch diameter brakes in 1928. In 1929, Graham Walker, the company’s sales manager, won the Ulster Grand Prix on a Rudge at over 80mph (123kph) and in 1930 Rudge motorcycles using radial four-valve engines were placed first, second and third in the Junior TT. The radial four-valve design appeared on production models the following year and a semi-radial aluminium bronze cylinder head was introduced in 1934 with the valve gear fully enclosed from 1937. To diversify its appeal, the four-valve 500cc engine appeared in three models in 1927, the Roadster, the Special and the Sports, the latter of which later acquired the ‘Ulster’ model name. The Special was the touring model featuring a parallel valve layout and was capable of 75mph to 80mph.

This example was restored in 1977 by Ernie Lessiter in Oxford, UK, and was featured in and on the cover of the March 1982 edition of Classic Bike. Lessiter raced Rudges from 1946 and owned this machine for 25 years. It was purchased for the NZ Classic Motorcycles collection via an auction in Staffordshire in April, 2008, from a private vendor who had purchased it from Lessiter in 2000.