Jack Rudd’s telescopic fork conversion

When attending Classic Motorcycle Races in the early 1980s I recall seeing Jack Rudd on his Douglas that had been fitted with a Norton gearbox, from memory, just below the seat. Recently in Queensland Kal Carrick gave me the major part of a set of telescopic forks which he informed me had been made by the late Jack Rudd who passed away in 2002 aged 88. He believed that these had been made by Rudd at the Commonwealth Aircraft Factory, Melbourne prior to the war. My immediate thought was that if this had been the case then he has probably been influenced by the hydraulic landing gear on aircraft made at that time. Kal pointed out the mountings at the top rear of the forks. When original girders were removed then these mounts had been placed so as to immediately bolt onto where the others had been detached. It is believed that these forks were usually used on Rudd’s hill climb machine.