Даниялық мотоцикл: Nimbus тарихы

Danish motorcycle

The Nimbus is a Danish motorcycle produced from 1919 to 1960 by Fisker and Nielsen of Copenhagen, Denmark, also manufacturers of "Nilfisk" brand vacuum cleaners (now Nilfisk). Two basic models were produced, both with a 750 cc four cylinder engine.

In partnership with H. M. Nielsen, Peder Andersen Fisker produced electric motors and, from around 1910, the first vacuum cleaners in Europe. Fisker believed he could develop a motorcycle that had its own form, and in late 1918 decided to construct a prototype to his own design.

The first Nimbus motorcycle had a four cylinder inline engine of capacity, which drove the rear wheel through a shaft drive rather than the belt usually used at that time, and a power output of approximately 10 hp. Its top speed was around with a sidecar fitted. It had both front and rear wheel sprung suspension, and soon acquired the nickname of Kakkelovnsrør ("Stovepipe") due to the thick, round pipe between the saddle and handlebars which as well as forming part of the bike’s chassis contained the petrol tank. Two more machines were constructed in 1919, but mass production did not begin until 'Fisker & Nielsen' became a limited liability company in 1920. Disappointed by poor sales, Fisker began entering the Stovepipe in all the races that he could, often with a sidecar attached, and built up a good reputation for the machine. The 'Stovepipe' was technically improved along the way, mainly in details, but also with the two main types of fronts forks, which distinguished the Type A (shown) from the Type B. However, the introduction of a sales tax on motorcycles in 1924 and an economic recession resulted in production being discontinued from 1926 after 1,300 machines had been produced.

With his son Anders, Fisker started designing a new machine in 1932 and in 1934 they demonstrated a new Nimbus motorcycle, the Type C. It retained the shaft drive, a completely redesigned ohv and ohc engine of 18 (later 22) hp, and a frame made from 40mm X 8mm steel flat bar using riveted construction. The frame was shaped to go around the fuel tank, much like the pressed steel frames on several other motorcycles of the period, e. g. Zündapp. Front suspension was by telescopic fork; although this was introduced a year before the BMW R12, the R12's fork had hydraulic damping upon introduction while the Nimbus's fork did not have hydraulic damping until 1939. Its distinctive humming exhaust note led to it being nicknamed Humlebien ("Bumblebee"). Thanks to the design's inherent reliability, using a Nimbus on a daily basis is still considered easy and economical. Nevertheless (and with some notable exceptions), today most Nimbus owners rarely ride more than a few thousand kilometers a year. Also, as the Nimbus often came from the factory with a sidecar attached, many of the ones on the road have recently been fitted with such.

The 1948 short film by the great Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer, De nåede færgen (They Made it to the Ferry), is regarded by film enthusiasts as a masterpiece of suspense and rhythm. 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 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.