Photo: Nimbus goes to The Bonneville Salt Flats
The Bonneville Salt Flats may witness the roar of the world's fastest Nimbus. A creation of Danish Lars Nielsen, this Nimbus packs both evil racing grunt and smooth lines that could inspire modern builders.
For some, Nimbus only represents a past chapter in the book of world motorcycling, but there are some fellows that are not that quick to call it a bike of the past. With around 8,000 Nimbus Type C bikes still around in the world, of which half are reportedly registered and prowling the streets of Denmark, it's rather hard to say they're gone.
Nielsen overhauled the Nimbus engine and made sure it will deliver nothing but the best in terms of both reliability and performance. Type C Nimbus machines first arrived back in 1934, as Peder Andersen Fisker and his son wanted a bike that delivered more than what the Kakkelovnsrør (Danish nickname for the bike, meaning Stovepipe) did.
Top speed seems to have also been one of the issues that led to the decline of the Nimbus. After becoming the best-selling bike in Denmark before WWII and faring very well after the war thanks to state orders (Army, Postal Services, Police), no major investments have been made in development and retooling.
However, cars soon started to become increasingly faster and more affordable, and the VW Beetle is only one of the hugely successful four-wheelers that sped up Nimbus' decline. Reaching a top speed of only 120 km/h (under 75 mph), the Nimbus Type C could no longer keep up with the car industry... and the game was already lost.
Lars Nielsen crafted a special frame that favors installing an aerodynamic bodywork but retained the shaft final drive. With all the work that went into the engine and a different, more permissive exhaust, this Nimbus sounds like a real race motorcycle. If you ask us, it sounds even better than many modern-day bikes, and we're curious to see how fast can it go.
Nielsen overhauled the Nimbus engine and made sure it will deliver nothing but the best in terms of both reliability and performance. Type C Nimbus machines first arrived back in 1934, as Peder Andersen Fisker and his son wanted a bike that delivered more than what the Kakkelovnsrør (Danish nickname for the bike, meaning Stovepipe) did.
The best-selling Danish bike mid-20th-century was no longer fast enough
The engine remains a 746cc 4-cylinder in-line design capable to produce 22 horsepower in stock trim, but with the restoration work and improvements, it is expected to fare better.Top speed seems to have also been one of the issues that led to the decline of the Nimbus. After becoming the best-selling bike in Denmark before WWII and faring very well after the war thanks to state orders (Army, Postal Services, Police), no major investments have been made in development and retooling.
However, cars soon started to become increasingly faster and more affordable, and the VW Beetle is only one of the hugely successful four-wheelers that sped up Nimbus' decline. Reaching a top speed of only 120 km/h (under 75 mph), the Nimbus Type C could no longer keep up with the car industry... and the game was already lost.
Lars Nielsen crafted a special frame that favors installing an aerodynamic bodywork but retained the shaft final drive. With all the work that went into the engine and a different, more permissive exhaust, this Nimbus sounds like a real race motorcycle. If you ask us, it sounds even better than many modern-day bikes, and we're curious to see how fast can it go.
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