Piece of CAKE: The KALK
In this two-part series, we will cover the Swedish company’s electric motorbike KALK as well as their plans to introduce portable solar charging units for its motorcycles.
But first, the company. CAKE is a Swedish company with the mission to “contribute to speeding up the transition towards a zero emission society, while enhancing excitement and fun, by developing light, silent and clean hi performance electric off-road motorbikes.”
Having reduced the benefits of electric motorbikes to mainly being light, silent, clean, simple and with limited maintenance, CAKE aims to maximise the said advantages. The company will do this via the electrical drivetrain to develop “an industrially manufactured, performance off-road ride”.
And thus, the KALK was born.
This CAKE bike is the company’s first bike among the many other models to come, and the focus will be on off-road performance and innovation.
KALK’s unique name was inspired by KALKsten, or Limestone, being the bedrock of the island of Gotland. Gotland is known for its white limestone which gives the island a special “light and flight”, and this same white limestone is what CAKE will be using for their tracks, as it is perfect for building jumps, curves, banks and rollers.
Made out of aluminum and carbon fiber, this bike features a 15-kW mid motor, powered by a 51.8 Volt and 50Ah battery for torque and range in its three riding modes. This gives the vehicle a dynamic yet simplified performance - weighing a mere sub 70 kilos, KALK uses a single pivot direct drive with suspensions specifically developed by Öhlins to ensure high performance even with minimum weight.
The front suspension is air/oil sprung and features 38mm stanchion tubes for extra rigidity and strength, and can be adjustable for high-speed compression, low-speed compression and low-speed rebound. For the rear, Öhlins uses a TTX dampening technology.
For the braking system, it is at a motorcycle standard with four pistons calipers, alloy levers and stainless-steel rotors. The seat is developed by Reconsider while the wheels have alloy, triple chamber rims specially developed for durability and minimum trail wear.
“The light and snappy ride, with its focus on off and on trail riding, in the outback, means that its main character is about torque and acceleration, while providing a quiet gliding and surf-y experience. Thanks to its digital pre-setting it’ll let anyone fly at their own level,” CAKE stated.
With all these special features and how environmentally friendly it is, this special motorbike does seem like it will be a piece of cake to ride.