CAKE unveils new 63 mph electric motorcycle that is a workbench on wheels - Electrek

After teasing us last week, CAKE has just announced a new electric motorcycle platform known as the CAKE Ösa. The street-legal platform is designed for both on- and off-road riding and offers extreme utility with over 1,000 customization combinations.

And you can be sure it looks unlike any other electric motorcycles currently on the market.

The CAKE Ösa is actually two different vehicles with higher and lower speed/power options to fit into different motorcycle classes.

Both versions have options for either a 1.5 kWh or 2.6 kWh battery, with the larger offering a range of up to 63 mi (100 km). The batteries have multiple output options to allow the CAKE Ösa to be used as a mobile power station. CAKE envisions the Ösa being used to power outdoor concerts with lights and amps, for laborers who need to charge tools at remote worksites and for many other applications where off-grid power is needed.

Both bikes are also designed with a mobile workbench concept. The frame is built around a main central spine that uses a custom-designed locking clamp to attach a wide range of accessories. One or more seats can slide along and clamp to the frame, as well as other accessories such as racks, baskets, surfboard holders, hitches and a number of other soon to be released accessories.

According to the company:

“While designing the Ösa, CAKE found that the variety of work and commuting in today’s society has never been greater. What to bring and what to carry varies greatly between the office worker and the craftsman, and the roads toward the destination include highways and trails and everything in between. CAKE’s solution was to build an electric and modular utility commuter vehicle with off-road capabilities and integrated power station.”

CAKE Ösa+ electric motorcycle

The CAKE Ösa+ is the higher power and speed model, making it a fully fledged electric motorcycle.

It tops out at 63 mph (100 km/h) and features a 7 kW continuous, 10 kW peak motor driving a Gates Carbon Belt Drive.

The CAKE Ösa+ features a double crown suspension fork and motorcycle-grade rims. The bike will retail for US $8,000.

CAKE Ösa Lite

The lower speed CAKE Ösa Lite is designed to be registered as a moped instead of a motorcycle.

It has a top speed of 30 mph in the US or 45 km/h in Europe. Its motor is rated at a continuous 4 kW of power, but also peaks at 10 kW just like the CAKE Ösa+

The CAKE Ösa Lite will retail for US $6,000. Both the Ösa Lite and Ösa+ will begin making deliveries in the US and EU in late March 2020.

Electrek’s Take

I’m impressed with the CAKE Ösa. I like the concept: an off-road capable yet street-legal electric motorcycle that can be highly customized and used as an off-grid power station. In case you weren’t keeping score, that’s a lot of problems solved by a single bike.

Yea, it’s not cheap, and that’s especially true for the smaller CAKE Ösa Lite. Though keep in mind that the CAKE Ösa Lite is basically the CAKE Ösa+, yet with a stronger limiter to allow it to qualify as a moped. And compared to the prices of CAKE’s original electric motorcycles, the CAKE Ösa is a downright bargain.

When it comes to pricing though, you’ve got to take quality into consideration. If you’ve never seen one of CAKE’s motorcycles before, then believe me when I say these things are superb quality. These Swedes don’t mess around when it comes to production and the overbuilt nature of the bikes is a testament to that.

The one thing that has always bugged me about CAKE’s bikes though is the battery capacity. That smaller 1.5 kWh battery is fine for the CAKE Ösa Lite (though I’d want the larger battery if I’ll be using it as a power station) but the 2.6 kWh is barely enough for a 63 mph (100 km/h) motorcycle, in my opinion. There’s no way you’ll get close to the max range figure if you’re riding at high speed. And if you’re going to build an electric motorcycle that can hit these speeds, riders are going to want to be able to do it for more than 30 minutes at a time.

So while everything else is a win in my book, I really would have loved to see bigger battery capacity or at least the option of installing two of those 2.6 kWh packs in parallel.

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