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The first Rudge model was in 1911 and came with a 500cc one-cylinder engine, with head-mounted intake valves and a side exhaust valve.
The company had immense success with the bike when it was taken up by both road riders and road racers who used it to compete in several road racing events. Victor Surridge even broke several records at the Brooklands circuit, when he shot through the 104 km/h speed barrier—an achievement which was the most coveted feat for that season.
In 1924, Rudge motorcycles introduced 500 and 530cc engines with four overhead valves. These bikes were easily identified by their two exhaust pipes—one from each of its exhaust valves.
In Portugal, the English brand was represented in competition by numerous riders such as Francisco and Ângelo Bastos, not to mention Manuel Bramão and Alexandre Black.
The Ulster model is so named in commemoration of victory in the Ulster GP, which afforded the bike a status of being the fastest road bike in the world.
This Rudge Ulster, donated to the Museu do Caramulo on May 27, 1992, by Carlos Sommer Champalimaud, is quite possibly among one of the last Rudge bikes to be produced—since the English factory stopped its production of motorcycles in 1939.