CAKE is a Swedish company that manufactures electric off-road bikes which can be used for silent off-road trail riding and for free-riding in back countries.
They have now launched the Kalk INK SL which has been modified with the addition of a head lamp, tail lamp, turn indicators and a number plate holder to make it street legal. The bikes gearing has also been tweaked to allow it to reach highway speeds. The Kalk INK SL is based on the INK and uses fenders and body work made up of black, injection-molded polycarbonate and ABS. These are mounted of a robust Aluminium frame and swing arms. The street legal version has been provided with non-linkage rear suspension with 205 mm travel and a light weight motocross upside down fork front suspension with a 200 mm travel.
These bikes have been designed to be used in the outback, but can easily be used for the less taxing rides across the city on paved roads. These bikes are powered by a 10 KW (13.6 PS) electric motor which generates 42 N-m of torque. The drive is transmitted to the rear wheels using a chain drive. Energy for the motor is stored in a 2.6 KW-H Li-ion battery pack which operates at 51.8 Volts. The bike comes with three riding modes, the Explore mode in which the speed is limited to 45 km/h and the battery lasts upto 4 hours. In the Excite Mode, the bike can be ridden on a trail for enduro with the battery lasting between 1 and 2 hours. The most sporty mode is the Excel Mode which is designed for track use and which unleashes all the power and torque. In this mode, the battery lasts just 1 hour.
Charging this battery pack takes around 2.5 hours and it provides a range of 86 Km on road in case of economical riding and 35 Km when using the bike at high speeds up to 70 Km/h. The entire package give this bike, weighing 82 Kgs a top speed of 100 Km/h, thus allowing it to be used on highways also.
In addition to the riding modes, the bike also has three braking modes, free wheel, 2 stroke mode, using the motor for braking and a 4 stroke mode which uses motor for braking as well as produces regenerative energy for charging the battery. In addition to the motor braking, the bike has been provided with standard, four pistons calipers and 220 mm/3.2 mm stainless steel discs, hand lever for front brakes and foot pedal for rear brakes.
The Transport Journal 