Amid the chatter and shuffle of the AIMExpo in Columbus, Ohio, lies a new section that hums with electric life. This section is called the Cycle Volta E-Pavilion, where ebike manufacturers like Cake have booths situated with their latest models. Cake's booth displays both its off-road and street-legal e-machines, the Kalk OR (O-R for off-road) and the Kalk&. At the ebike demo course staging area, these two modern machines are poised and ready for folks to swing a leg over.
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Some background for you: Cake launched in January 2018, but the company has been making steady progress since it entered the industry, like developing its own axle, hub, tires, and even solar panel (which can be purchased separately). The company shares the same goal with the rest of the motorcycle industry of getting new riders on bikes. In a Cycle World interview with Cake CEO Steffan Ytterborn, he stated that "the barrier of learning how to ride a motorbike—clutching, changing gears, and so forth—limits the ability for more to ride. Then again, we have issues off road; you cannot ride everywhere," and continued saying that "we realize that we are contributing to moving something forward, and in the end, we'll see if we are the ones actually being perceived as a leader of the category. To me, it's about inviting new people—outdoor people, mountain bikers, motorbike guys, whoever wants to get out there—to experience something new."
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The Kalk OR and its street-legal sibling are e-motorcycles positioned to take a shot at just that: the chance for riders to experience something different. I had an opportunity to take it for a spin.
If you are charging from a 110-amp source it will take two and a half hours, and one and a half hours from a 220-amp source.
It depends on which riding mode you utilize. On both the Kalk OR and the Kalk& there are three ride modes: Explore (Level 1 power), Excite (Level 2 power), and Excel (Level 3 power). Explore can travel for a claimed 3–4 hours, Excite 1–2 hours, and Excel for about 1 hour. Cake’s Brand Manager Zach Clayton told me that you do get about 20 percent of regenerative braking power returned to the machine in the four-stroke braking mode (Level 3 braking mode) regardless of the ride mode. You also get “moderate” regenerative charging via braking in the two-stroke braking mode (Level 2 braking mode).
Its power source is a 2.6 kWh lithium-ion battery.
The Kalk OR weighs a claimed 152 pounds (about 38 of which is for the battery). The Kalk& weighs in at a claimed 175 pounds.
The Kalk OR can be purchased for $13,000 and the Kalk& can be purchased for $14,000.
Is it fun to ride? Yes! Around the tight ebike course the OR felt light and maneuverable. I clicked through the ride modes and found that all three delivered smooth power throughout the "rev range" and the rear brake provided more bite than the front brake's gentler one.
Now, of course, the ebike test area doesn’t allow for a full review, but plenty of people were enjoying sampling the bike and that’s the biggest step for Cake right now: continuing to generate interest in electric motorcycles.
More information: ridecake.com
