1935 Nimbus Stands Out At Hebron Show

HEBRON, CT – The 1935 Nimbus Model C parked at the entrance to the National Meet being staged here this weekend by the Yankee Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America was the first vintage bike that many of those arriving on Friday morning got to see. It wouldn’t be the last, but it was certainly a standout bike.

Its owner, Darryl Cutter of Wellfleet, Mass., was handling gate duties. Between accepting cash and waving riders on old bikes in for free, he talked about the motorcycle that he acquired some five years go.

“Got it out of Copenhagen. It’s a Danish bike,” he said. “Nimbus had always been on my radar. Then my brother married a Danish girl. He took the family to Denmark for the summer. I said, ‘Hey, find me a Nimbus.'” So he did through the firm J.C. Nimbus. It had a customer who had health issues and was wanting to sell the Model C.

Nimbus began making motorcycles in 1919 and lasted until 1960. The Model C was introduced in 1934. It was nicknamed Humlebien (“The Bumblebee”) because of its exhaust note.

“It’s a very rideable 1935 motorcycle,” said Cutter, who listed among its features a 750cc, four-cylinder engine with three-speed transmission and shaft drive. It has a hand shifter and foot clutch.

Cutter noted that the Model C was the first motorcycle with a telescopic fork. It preceded BMW and its R12 model by one year.

Other interesting elements are the dash, the tool case mounted beneath the frame and the tail light with “STOP” in the lens.

Roughly 12,000 Model Cs were produced over the years and an estimated 4,000 are registered and still running in Denmark.

After finishing his volunteer duty at the gate, Cutter fired up his bike and rode it into the show…