Nimbus

Nimbus brand making a comeback after more than 60 years By Ben Purvis

The Nimbus name isn't likely to be familiar to most motorcyclists, but in Denmark there's a strong following for the brand - the only motorcycle manufacturer to have emerged from the country.

Between 1919 and 1960, Nimbus sold high-quality bikes powered by inline four-cylinder engines, mounted longitudinally in their frames rather like an Excelsior Henderson or Indian four. The company was part of Fisker and Nielson, a vacuum cleaner maker that lives on today under the Nilfisk name, and which has now licenced the Nimbus brand to Claus Clausen to be used on a new electric motorcycle.

The last Nimbus bike was the Type C, manufactured from 1934 to 1959, and the new machine takes its inspiration from that machine. Called the Type E, it uses a faux hardtail frame - there's actually a swingarm hidden between the rear frame hoops and a monoshock tucked underneath the single rider's seat - and fills the centre of the chassis with a large battery pack and electronics unit where the engine would normally sit. An electric motor sits concentrically with the swingarm pivot, ensuring that the tension on the belt final drive is consistent throughout the suspension's travel.

"Danish name returning on electric cruiser"

The company launched a share offering in July 2023 to raise funds for the Type E project as well as an electrically-assisted bicycle that is simultaneously under development. The aim is to raise between 8 and 10 million Danish Krone (€ 1.07m to € 1.34m), believed to be enough to get the bicycle into production and to finance building and testing a prototype of the Type E motorcycle during the summer of 2024. If all goes to schedule, the bike will then be officially unveiled in late 2024, with production targeted for 2025.

At the moment, Nimbus hasn't revealed any technical details of the motorcycle project, so it's impossible to guess at its performance or pricing, but the appearance of the machine suggests it's aimed at the higher end of the electric motorcycle market.