CAKE has a new street legal electric motorcycle headed to the US and Europe

The Swedish company CAKE is best known for their Kalk OR electric dirt bike. And while the Kalk OR has gotten rave reviews on the dirt, it hasn’t done much to those looking for a pavement commuter.

But today, CAKE has announced a new street legal electric motorcycle to do just that — and it’s heading for the US and EU soon.

CAKE set to debut Kalk& electric motorcycle

While CAKE’s original electric dirt bike was known as the Kalk OR, their new electric motorcycle will be known as the Kalk&. Presumably that’s pronounced “Kalk and”.

The Kalk& shares a very similar off-road inspired design to the original Kalk OR electric dirt bike.

According to CAKE’s founder and CEO Stefan Ytterborn, that’s by design:

“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.”

When comparing the Kalk& to its off-road predecessor, eagle-eyed readers will spot a few important additions. Photos released by CAKE show the Kalk& sporting mirror mounts, a license plate holder and diminutive little turn signals. All important steps towards DOT and ECE homologation for the US and Europe.

Kalk& electric motorcycle tech specs are few and far between

While CAKE announced that the Kalk& would be available for pre-sale beginning in March, the company failed to release the price or tech specs.

Even so, product photos show us a number of hints.

The battery appears to be the same model as the one used in the Kalk OR, which is a 51.8V and 50 Ah Li-ion pack rated at 2.6 kWh.

The Kalk OR uses a 15 kW peak motor, and the same model could end up on the Kalk&.

However, obvious differences between the two bikes include the seat construction, handlebars and lighting packages – all likely required changes for homologation.

Additionally, we know that the Kalk& should be capable of at least 100 km/h (62 mph), which would put it on part with other light electric motorcycles heading to the US soon.

According to the company:

“The Kalk&, the street legal sibling of its off-road precursor, the Kalk OR, may look similar on the outside, but does have a few developments on the inside. Just like CAKE’s first bike, the Kalk&  is also strongly 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, its gearing differs slightly and top speeds have been enhanced, beyond 100kph, in accordance with highway pacing”

With just a 2.6 kWh battery in a 100 km/h (62 mph) electric motorcycle, the range isn’t expected to be very large. But swappable batteries could help partially alleviate that problem.

CAKE plans to begin taking pre-orders for the Kalk& in March with a deposit of 200 USD or Euro, depending on the reservation holder’s country.

The final price of the Kalk& has not yet been revealed. However, the Kalk OR is priced at $13,000 and features a top speed of just 75 km/h (46 mph), so don’t expect the Kalk& to be a bargain.

A growing field of competitors

CAKE originally existed in a market niche that it held almost entirely to itself. With a high end electric dirt bike and no more Alta Motors to speak of, only Harley-Davidson’s upcoming electric dirt bike concept posed any realistic direct competition.

But now CAKE will be taking on a number of established competitors that offer similar specs for much lower prices.

Super SOCO’s TC Max also offers a 100 km/h electric motorcycle, but at less than half of the price of the Kalk OR and likely a third of the price of the eventual Kalk&.

Fly Free Smart has their own line of ~$4,500 and 80 km/h (50 mph) electric motorcycles on the way to the US.

And for the price of a 75 km/h (46 mph) Kalk OR, riders can pick up a 150 mph Lightning Strike electric motorcycle later this spring.

So while it’s always great to see new models entering the electric motorcycle landscape, one has to wonder if there is room for such a pricy and untested e-moto as the Kalk&?

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.