The Rudge Special was the parallel-valve 500 cc road motorcycle that Rudge-Whitworth offered from 1931. It shared its engine layout with the Ulster, the fast model with a 100 mph guarantee, while the lighter 250 and 350 cc Rudges of the same years used the new radial-valve head.
Rudge Special at a glance
| Maker | Rudge-Whitworth, Coventry |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1931 |
| Engine | 500 cc, parallel valves |
| Range position | road model, alongside the Ulster |
| Ulster | same parallel-valve layout, 100 mph guarantee |
| New in 1931 | radial-valve 250 and 350 cc road machines |
| TT Replicas | 350 cc and 500 cc |
| 1932 | radial-head 500 cc built for one year only |
| Other 1932 changes | oil bath primary chains, one-finger stand |
The Special is mentioned only in the 1930s section of the Wikipedia articles on Rudge-Whitworth, so this page is short and based on those mentions.
History of the Rudge Special
The 1931 range
Rudge rebuilt its road range in 1931. The company released its first 250 cc and 350 cc road machines with the radial-valve layout that had won the 1930 Junior TT, and offered TT Replicas in 350 cc and 500 cc. The parallel-valve 500 cc engine carried on in two models, the Special and the Ulster; the Ulster, now guaranteed to reach 100 mph, was the faster of the pair, while the Special was the standard road version of the same layout.
A short life in the range
The parallel-valve engine did not last much longer at Rudge. A radial-head 500 cc was produced for 1932 only, and in the same year the road bikes received proper oil bath primary chains and a stand that could be operated with one finger. Rudge’s racing effort was already at its height: the company had taken first and second in the 1931 Lightweight TT and second and third in 1932, and machines such as the Special carried the reputation earned on the Isle of Man into the showrooms.
Design and features
- Parallel-valve 500 cc engine: the same layout as the Ulster, in a road specification.
- Part of a broad range: sold alongside radial-valve 250 and 350 cc models and 350/500 cc TT Replicas.
- Racing pedigree: Rudge’s TT successes of 1930–1932 underpinned the road models.
- 1932 updates: oil bath primary chains and a one-finger stand across the road range.
Rudge Special versions
- Rudge Special (1931): the parallel-valve 500 cc road model.
- Rudge Ulster: the faster parallel-valve 500, guaranteed at 100 mph.
- TT Replica (350 and 500 cc): road versions of the racing machines.
The Special shared its parallel-valve layout with the four-valve line that came before it, and it is placed in the company’s history in the Rudge-Whitworth article. More machines are in the Rudge collection.
Sources
- Rudge-Whitworth, English Wikipedia: 1930s range, Special and Ulster
- Rudge, Italian Wikipedia: model history
