The Cake Kalk INK brings similar performance to road-going Kalk& for a big saving

Swedish electric bike makers Cake have added another machine to their range, focussing heavily on reducing the cost. The new Kalk INK is £4000 cheaper than the Kalk& – a bike we’ve tested in the past – but loses very little zip. How have they done it? Lots of hard work apparently.

Cake Kalk INK fast facts

• 14.75bhp motor
• 31ftlbs @ 3000rpm
• 910mm seat height
• 72kg ready to ride
• £9000

At the core, the machine is essentially the same as the Kalk&. It’s got the same 15bhp motor, that can power the bike up to a max speed of 50mph, while it also packs the same removable 2.6kWh battery, which gives it a run time of up to three hours.

It’s also got the same 6061 extruded aluminium frame and swingarm. Where things change are the finishing kit.

While the full fat version has custom-made, fully-adjustable Öhlins suspension front and rear, as well as being draped in brushed aluminium, the entry-level INK gets a regular 200mm worth of suspension. The wheels are a little heavier too, although the whole bike still only weighs just 72kg with the battery included.

Related articles on MCN

• Cake Kalk& (2019-on) review
• Cake Kalk& revealed
• Best electric motorbikes of 2020

The rest of the workings are the same, so the motor has three power modes (explore, excite and excel) which increase snappiness and power, albeit at the expense of range. It also has three regen settings with none, two-stroke and four-stroke styles.

Charging takes place from a standard wall outlet with 0-100% taking just two-and-a-half hours from a standard wall socket. The battery is removable, too (spares are £2800), so you can swap them if you’re desperate to ride on.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by CAKE • Electric Motorbikes (@ridecake) on Mar 12, 2020 at 12:34pm PDT

The only downside to the INK is that unlike the Kalk& it’s not road legal, so you can pretty much only ride it on private land. However, the fact it operates in total silence does open up other opportunities, unlike motocross tracks that always struggle due to noise.

The Kalk INK is available to order now, with deliveries starting in June, but if orders go like they have with other models, expect a bit of a wait.