Rudge Rapid

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Rudge of Coventry and Whitworth of Birmingham came together in 1894 to make Rudge-Whitworth bicycles but from 1911 to 1939 they also made some handsome and well-engineered motorcycles with the sales motto “Rudge it, don’t trudge it”.

Innovative from the outset, they offered one piece fork links, variable CVT gearing for belt drive machines, the world’s first detachable wire wheel and 4-valve radial OHV engines. By the 1930s their reputation was well established with notable TT wins and various record-breaking performances at the famous Brooklands race circuit.

1930 was a fabulous year for Rudge, taking the first three places in the Junior TT and the first two in the Senior event. These successes gave a huge boost to sales as many of the racing innovations filtered down to the road machines which were highly sought after by sporting riders. The 250cc version of the Rudge was available in two and four valve versions as well as touring and sporting editions.

The range continued until 1939 when the outbreak of hostilities meant the factory had to switch to supporting the war effort, effectively bringing motorcycle production to an end, although bicycle manufacture was to continue for many years thereafter.
 
Little is known of this 245cc Rudge Rapid model from the Stondon Museum collection which is thought to date from around 1938. At the time of cataloguing the frame number had not been found and nor had any paperwork save for some scribbled notes and some tank transfers. However, a dating letter from the relevant club and an application to DVLA should suffice to get new registration documents issued in fairly smart order.

Altogether a pretty little sporting lightweight machine that appears to be complete and only in need of minor fettling and registration.