Nice Ride, Bad Bike - April 22

Sunday, April 22

Dave Jensen, one of the Nimbus guys, shows up, and after some hours of talking and bs'ing he and Kaj go to work on a Nimbus, that the latter has been tasked to get running. It has been standing still for way too long, and it shows. It needs a new rear tyre, points, a condenser and a major cleaning and adjustment of everything, but after twenty or so primer kicks it starts. The engine sounds good, and we have yet to discover an oil leak of biblical proportions. Riding the poor thing, however, is a different matter, and I'm the sacrificial lamb here.

  

Over the last 15 years Kaj has probably worked on 30-35 Nimbuses here in the US. 

Heading for a biker bar 5 clicks down the road, I start counting all the things wrong with this bike, non-functioning rear brake being the most important one. It's probably the worst Nimbus I ever rode, even counting in my own ones. Then again, it still it beats walking or driving a car, and I'm right pleased there behind the handlebars, while preparing escape routes around cars in case they brake hard in front of me.

We stop at 'Mother's', a biker bar, third place with Harleys parked in front, along the costal road south. Newish Harleys seem to be the norm here: Most of the motorcycles I've seen so far are very large Evo dressers with thundering exhaust pipes and high handlebars, 400 kg behemoths that seem good for short trips only. Who knows....

Inside the bar every conceivable part of the roof lumber is covered in dollar bills, a departure from earlier when everything was covered in women's bras hanging from the lumber. There's also lots of grey and white hair, so the three of us don't make a dent as far as average age is concerned. Lots of flesh too, and lots of noise. After a while this noise gets replaced with a decent coverband, good enough to makes us stay for a bit, before we head back to Kaj's garage.

'Tammy Madsen Band' at Mother's, a biker bar crammed with a - let's say - rather mature audience.

Dave Jensen on his spiffy late model Nimbus.

The vanity plate close up.

Kaj grew up in Thyborøn, very close to Danish rock'n'roller Johnny Madsen, and remains friends with him. Despite nicking this sign....