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Cake Kalk OR and Cake Kalk Ink / SL

New partnership with Polestar

With the Kalk, Cake from Sweden offers an electrically powered enduro that weighs just under 70 kilograms and drives 80 kilometers, and which is also available as road versions. A cooperation with Polestar is now intended to boost sales.

D.he company philosophy of Cake from Sweden is simple and clear: We develop and build light, quiet, environmentally friendly and powerful off-road bikes that are supposed to deliver a lot of driving pleasure. In the meantime, the Swedes have further developed their model strategy, so that models for road use are also available. The newest of these street bikes is called Cake Kalk Ink SL. In mid-May 2020, it was also announced that Cake and the Volvo subsidiary Polestar want to intensify their 2019 partnership. Both manufacturers, who have placed their focus on electrically powered vehicles, want to benefit from each other and attract new target groups. In future, Cake bikes will play a role at selected Polestar events. Apart from that, Cake’s motorcycles will also be available in Polestar shops in the future.

"Cheaper" Basic variant for the street

Cake now offers various model variants. The so-called Cake Kalk Ink represents the entry-level model and is therefore the cheapest bike from the Swedish manufacturer. Accordingly, it also offers fewer features than the more expensive Cake Kalk OR. The Cake Kalk Ink SL is available from 10,500 euros while the OR costs just under 13,000 euros. The main differences are in the spring elements. Apart from that, the street version had to be equipped with some new components such as LED lighting, mirrors, a license plate holder and turn signals in order to meet street legal requirements. The top speed of the SL could also be increased slightly through various modifications. The SL should bring almost 90 km / h to the speedometer.

cake.

With the SL, a new road model that is cheaper than the OR will also be available from July 2020.

Thanks to the additional components, the SL also gains weight compared to the off-road bike. The still light street cake, including a 2.6 kWh battery and 10 kW motor, weighs just under 82 kilograms. Depending on the driving style and purpose, 35 (high-speed mode with an average of 70 km / h) and 86 kilometers (trail or enduro mode) should be possible. Delivery of the SL is to begin as early as July 2020.

Calk OR – mountain bike or even motorcycle?

Cake presented its first Cake model back in 2018. The overall concept of the Kalk looks like an oversized mountain bike or just like a tiny enduro. The Kalk OR is driven by a 15 kW electric motor, which is supplied from a 2.6 kWh lithium-ion energy storage device. The maximum torque is given as 42 Nm on the crankshaft. The electric motor was placed where conventionally powered bikes carry the gearbox. The battery, which should provide a maximum range of up to 80 kilometers, sits above it and fills the space up to the bench. The power electronics find their place in front of it. Three drive modes can be called up from the cockpit. In addition, the braking power of the electric motor and thus also the energy recovery can be continuously regulated. Conventional stoppers are used for deceleration. Four-piston calipers bite into 220 discs. These are important, as the Kalk should be over 75 km / h.

Original bike available since mid-2018

The electric drive is located in a bridge frame made of screwed cast aluminum profiles with a stabilizing beam; the swing arm is made from the same material. At the front, a fully adjustable Ohlins upside-down fork with 38 mm stanchions and 204 mm suspension travel guides, bounces and dampens. At the rear there is also a fully adjustable Ohlins TTX shock absorber. The few trim parts are made of carbon fiber laminate. The wire spoke wheels measure 24 inches in diameter.

Ridecake

E-motor and battery are in an aluminum bridge frame.

And because the Kalk was originally intended exclusively for off-road use, lighting equipment was completely dispensed with. After the first deliveries in 2018, it quickly became apparent that customers would also like to legally move the lime on the road. Kalk stepped up and since March 2019 has also been offering the OR model in a version that is roadworthy in the USA and Europe. The basic price is 13,000 euros. As described above, the Kalk SL, a cheaper street model from Cake, will be available from July 2020.

Conclusion

After the Enduro, Cake is now also launching street-legal versions of its electric motorcycles. The street versions also impress with their reduced appearance and feather-light weight. The Cake motorcycles are still not cheap fun.

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