HAVE
YOUR
CAKE…
They probably have one of the best-
worst names in the game, but that’s
not stopping Swedish electric off-road
motorcycle outfit Cake Motorcycle from
continuing to push the electric agenda with
its first road-legal offering.
Engineered from scratch, the Kalk&
(that’s ‘Kalk and’) is an ultra-lightweight
e-motorcycle with what the company claims
is unprecedented reliability and durability,
offering industry-leading performance and
countless riding possibilities.
“Explore & commute, trail & street, clean
& silent. The benefits of the dual usability,
combining sustainable and efficient
commuting with backcountry exploration,
are endless. Bringing a high performance,
electric off-road bike to the market, and
making it street legal, is an important step
for us at CAKE, inspiring people towards
zero emission, combining responsibility and
excitement. It’s the perfect commuter tool
while serving its users with thrill and fun,
during weekends and vacations,” says Stefan
Ytterborn, founder and CEO of CAKE.
The Kalk& is the street legal sibling of its off-
road precursor, the Kalk OR, and shares the
same, very Swedish design aesthetic on the
24 KIWI RIDER
outside, but on the inside is where the main
developments have been made.
Each component of the Kalk& had to be
developed from scratch to support the
category since mountain bike parts are too
weak and motorbike parts are too heavy.
Every part of the Kalk&, including rolling
chassis – frame, cockpit, wheels and tires
– components, suspension and drive train,
was engineered, designed and manufactured
for optimal performance.
As with its predecessor, the Kalk& is
influenced by downhill and enduro mountain
bikes, in both the feel and handling, and its
design takes into account the two sports’
geometry, suspension and components.
However, to transform the bike into a
capable road-going machine its gearing
differs slightly and top speeds have been
pushed out to beyond 100km/h to allow the
Kalk& to comfortably sit at highway speeds.
Currently only available to prospective
buyers in the EU and USA, the Kalk& would
set you back a whopping $22,000. Would
being part of the leading edge of electric
motorcycling be worth it? We’re thinking,
“yeah, nah.”