Mister Rudge & Oldtimer 

  Descriptions of legendary motorcycles

• Matchless

  

  1891 Great Britain, similar as the story of AJS the story of Matchless started with three brothers: Charlie, Harry and Bert Collier; Already father Henry Herbert Collier had started in 1891 in a suburb of London with the production of bicycles, for which he searched a stirring name: Matchless! 1899 Charlie Collier made his debut as racer and in the same year the first own motor cycle was developed. On his first TT ride on the Isle of Man he won the one-cylinder-class after four hours on an average speed of 61,49 km/h and he did 3 kilometres to the litre for his 433 cm³-ohv-JAP-engine.
  top of page

• Mondial

  

  1939, Italy
  top of page

• 
  
  
  

  Moto Guzzi

  

  1921, Italy, this famous Italian factory already entered the international racing scene in 1924. But the definite breakthrough took place 1935 with the model in the 250 cc class. Stanley Woods won with this type machine the 1935 Lightweight Tourist Trophy . With a similar machine the same race was won by the Italian Omobono Tenni in 1937. It was the first non British motor cycle to win the Lightweight (250 cc) class of the TT and initialed the definite use of the rear suspension on road going bikes.
       This neatly designed model "250" ohc race machine was introduced in 1926 and made until 1940 with a number of improvements as a commercially sold racer. It was the equipped with swinging arm rear springing and ridden by Stanley Woods won the 1935 Ligthweight TT. In 1937 with a similar machine the race was won by Omobono Tenni and continued to win TT-races from 1947 onwards.
  top of page

• Moto Morini

  

  1924, Italy, the name of the companies founder had been Morini and to be found the make name “MM”, even before he got a self-employed business man. This make name “MM” has been established already in 1924, just as Moto Morini at Bologna. 1949 the small “lighter” showed with the second and third place in the world champion ship of the 125 cm³-class, how sporty they had been.
  top of page

• Motosacoche

  

  1899, Switzerland, Motosacoche at Geneva was once the biggest motorcycle manufacturer in Switzerland and produced the world-wide well known MAG propriety-engines. But it was only in 1928 that they stepped into the limelight of the Grand-Prix game with by the Englishman Dougal Marchand built 350 M 35 ohc camshaft racing bike, ridden in the same year to two European Championship titles - 305 and 500 - by his compatriot Wal Handley in Geneva.
  top of page

• MV Agusta

  

  1920, Italy
  top of page

• 
  
  
  

  Norton

  

  1898, Great Britain, Great Britain dominated the international racing game not only in the 1920ies, but also in the 30ies up to 1937. From 1931 onwards up till 1937 - except 1935 - Norton was the leading make. E.g. after six Senior-TT wins between 1931 and 1937 with the famous longstroke-camshaft engine, Norton appeared at the Senior-TT 1938 with a much advanced, short-stroke engine and telescopic front fork and won with Harold Daniell for 7th time; after the war again three times between 1947 and 1949.
       The famous riders with the 350 and 500 dohc works racer from 1931 up to 1938 were Tim Hunt, Stanley Woods, Jimmy Simpson, Jimmy Guthrie, Freddie Frith and Harold Daniell.
       After the Second World War Norton was re-established in 1950 with a completely new works racing model having the so called "Featherbed" frame which was designed and developed by the Irishman Rex McCandless. With this new "Featherbed" works racer Nortons dominated the World Championship scene for a few further years with rides Geoff Duke, Reg Armstrong, Ken Kavanagh and Jack Brett.
  top of page

• NSU

  

  1901, Germany, the German motor cycle manufacturer NSU entrusted 1938 at a new supercharged design to climb up at the top of the Grand-Prix-Racing, even this new huge 350 cc dohc twin-engine could not convince before the war. But after 1945 - back to new life due to the efforts of Wilhelm Herz (Germany) - the supercharged NSU-Twin came into winning shape and with 500 cc capacity grow up to world-speed-records.
       In the 30ies the Englishman Tommy Bullus, works rider No. 1 of the NSU-Team, won 1930 in his first year with the newly Moore-designed racing-model the Klausen-Race (Switzerland) and established with the time of 16:41,0 for the 21,5 km long hill climb an everlasting motor cycle Klausen record, unbroken till now.
  top of page

• Peugeot

  

  1892, France
  top of page

• 
  
  
  

  Puch

  

  1903, Austria, this oldest Austrian motor cycle manufacturer had a few sport highlights during his existence. One of them was the win of the "German Grand Prix" 1931 by Elvetio Toricelli, a Swiss works rider, at Nürburgring. At this occasion he beat the first time with a water cooled 250 cc works bike the so far unconquered English makes in the quarter-liter class.
       The winner in 1906 with hat Puch 905 - see picture - had been the drivers Nikodem and Obruda (both Austrian).
       An interesting test had been made by Prof. Max Reisch: he rode in 1933 on a Puch 250 from Autria through Southeast Europe, Turkey and Middle East to India. By the way, a couple of years later he started again round the world, with a Steyr Puch Car.
  top of page

• Royal Enfield

  

  1890, Great Britain
  top of page

• 
  
  
  

  Rudge

  

  1869, Great Britain, the company "Rudge-Whithworth" had been based in Coventry (England). Dan Rudge started in 1869 at Wolverhampton with a bicycle-production. At the same time there still was the company Withworth in Birmingham, producing bolts and other ironmongery. In October 1894 both companies merged and settled at Crow Lane in Coventry. First they went on in producing bicycles, before in 1910 the first own Rudge-motor-cycle left the factory: 499 cc cubic capacity; the first model produced in series appeared in 1911. Until the end of Rudge in 1939 famous racers as Ernie Nott, Graham Walker or Tyrell Smith gained many success with Rudge motor cycles. With a 500 cc Rudge Ernie Nott got the hours record on the Brooklands racing court in 1930 with 170,38 km/h.
       Rudge Whitworth in 1940 bombed out of Coventry to never return produced the successful pre-runner of the modern 4 valve layout in engine design with its many sporting successes between 1928 and 1934 culminating with the Junior and Senior TT wins in 1930 and the Lightweight wins in 1931 and 1934. The so called "TT Replica" was the model name of the production racing models which was a true copy of the works racers and was last produced in 1934.
  top of page

  Author:

  Peter Krackowizer

  Date:

  renewed in November 2011