Nimbus (motorcycle)

[1] The first Nimbus motorcycle had a four-cylinder inline engine of 746 cc (45.5 cu in) capacity, which drove the rear wheel through a shaft drive rather than the belt usually used at that time and had a power output of approximately 10 hp.

The machine soon acquired the nickname of Kakkelovnsrør ("Stovepipe") due to the large diameter, round pipe between the saddle and handlebars which as well as forming the top tube of the bike’s frame, served as the fuel tank.

This retained the shaft drive but had a completely redesigned ohc engine (distinguished by its exposed valves) of 18 (later 22) hp fitted in a frame made from 40mm X 8mm steel flat bar using riveted construction.

The Danish Army bought around 20% of Fisker & Nielsen's total production and this, no doubt, influenced the decision not to introduce a Type 'C' replacement; the military would be unlikely to want an enlarged spares inventory to support an additional model.

The Danish police force also was a large fleet customer but phased out their Nimbuses in the late 1950s and early 1960s when they became too slow to keep up with modern cars and motorcycles; the top speed of a stock solo bike was only 120 km/h (75 mph), and that for brief bursts only.

Nevertheless, the basic design was never altered and as interest in motorcycles declined in the late 1950s due to the increasing availability of cheap cars such as the Volkswagen Beetle and the Fiat 500, production ceased in 1959 when the last contract from the army was delivered.

Though it was formally an educational short flick about road safety, the young couple involved in a race with death (a sinister grim reaper figure driving recklessly an old fashioned hearse-style sort of van) while speeding to catch the Nyborg ferry in time, is riding a 1948 Type 'C' Nimbus 750 sports model.

The rider's brag for 120 km/h top speed to a young petrol pump maid may be over-optimistic for this kind of workhorse, especially with a passenger on the pillion seat, but the couple nevertheless finally take the ferry over River Styx...in twin coffins.