Rudge it, Don’t Trudge it was their motto, and since the mid 1920s Rudge had been mounting success after success for their motorcycles. For 1930 things were to get even better with wins including a 1st and 2nd in the Senior race at the I.O.M TT races. Even in NZ Rudge was successful in taking overall honours at the first ever New Zealand TT on Waiheke Island in 1931. 4 speed gearboxes, a recirculating oiling system and a linked braking system were just some of the attractions that made Rudge the machine to own. They didn’t produce many models, in fact for 1930 there were only 4, the 500 Rudge Special, the “350” Model, the Ulster Grand Prix, and the Dirt Track Model as well as 6 sidecar options.
Click on the 1935 The MotorCycle front cover below to see the complete 21 page catalogue.
It is a 8M PDF so you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.
This is a separate insert that was included within the catalogue for the Rudge Dirt Track Model. The first official dirt track meeting in the UK was held in Epping Forrest in 1927, motorcycles being modified road machines. By 1930 manufacturers were producing special machines for the ever growing sport and Rudge was quickly becoming the most popular machine to own.
Click here for a December 1931 road test report from The MotorCycle for the 1932 499cc Rudge Special. I wonder if GT 2869 is still around?