As much as we love the sound of a stroked-out 450cc dirt bike thundering across the desert floor, those types of sounds aren’t long for this world. Gasoline-powered engines are going the way of the Dodo and being swept into the label that reads “extinct.” Electricity is the future, and with battery technology becoming ever more prevalent, cheap, and easy to manufacture, companies like Cake are banking heavily on those future-forward products.
According to the Swedish-based Cake, the electric Kalk motorcycle was developed with the goal of not just taking a dirt bike into the 22nd century, but to ensure that dirt bikes — and the freedom they deliver — won’t become a thing of the past once EVs (electric vehicles) dominate the world and our on-road experiences are entrusted to the coming age of autonomy. Based on the Kalk’s specifications, the future looks blindingly bright and it’s now ready to order.
The Kalk weighs just 155 pounds. For the uninitiated, that’s a featherweight fighter, especially when you compare it to Honda’s CRF150F, which tips the scales at a lighter-than-most 234 pounds. That low weight, combined with a 2.6 kWh lithium-ion battery pack which pumps out around 20 horsepower, makes the motorcycle nimble to ride and perform better than most (the CRF150F claims just 14.8 horsepower).
Top speed comes in at 50 miles per hour, and the 2.6 kWh battery pack allows for about 50 miles per charge (although that will be dependent on the riding being done). The frame is aluminum, but the body is built of carbon fiber. The suspension is handled by fully adjustable Öhlins nitrogren-pressurized units both front and rear. In terms of rideability, the motorcycle also features three distinct riding modes: Discover, Explore, and Excite, all of which make swapping riders and skill levels an absolute breeze.
The Kalk is named after kalksten (limestone in Swedish) because limestone makes up the bedrock of one of the Swedish isles that dirt bike-lovers make pilgrimages to. According to the company, the limestone is perfect for “building jumps, curves, banks, and rollers,” and pretty much every other type of terrain that a dirt biker would want.
Coming off the heels of the first 50 Limited Edition units being delivered just last week, the Cake Kalk production model is now available for pre-order. Pricing is set at $13,000, and buyers interested in the Kalk will need to drop $1,000 as a deposit.
“It’s somewhat unreal being at this stage,” says Stefan Ytterborn, founder and CEO of Cake. “With a clear mission to demonstrate what light, clean, and quiet electric performance off-road bikes can be, Cake aims to turn the motorized two-wheeled future upside down.”
Nevertheless, if the Kalk is any indication of the prospects of off-road motorcycles and motorcycles in general, the future looks to be full of endless thrills.
Article originallly published January 26, 2018. Last updated June 27, 2018 to include information about availbility.
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