New CAKE INK line of bikes doubles down on simplicity for a more affordable offroad package.
If you’ve been following us for a while, you know we had high praise for CAKE’s flagship off-road model, the CAKE Kalk OR. The latest addition to the Kalk line is the “INK” series of bikes, which shave $3,500 off the MSRP of the premium OR line without sacrificing any of the low-end power we enjoyed so much in our Kalk OR test ride.
In fact, the only thing we enjoyed more than the torque-laden bottom end of the OR model was its Ohlins suspension. We really can’t say enough about the ride of the Kalk OR, which is no surprise considering both fork and rear shock were built by Ohlins specifically for the CAKE.
And, as you might suspect, those golden Swedish suspenders were the first casualty of CAKE’s new budget-friendly build.
The INK line of motorcycles gets a rebound-adjustable spring fork instead and swaps out the fully-adjustable linkage-mounted Ohlins shock for a linkage-free direct mount unit. CAKE hasn’t disclosed who is manufacturing these parts, but has said they were specially engineered for the Kalk INK, so we shouldn’t have to worry about a DNM parts special on the new bike. Initial photos show components from RacingBros, a motorcycle and MTB suspension manufacturer out of Taiwan.
The new CAKE INK also gets 19” motorcycle rims front and rear rather than the 24” mountain-bike inspired hoops specced on the OR, and wraps them in more robust enduro-style motorcycle tires.
The INK version also gets an all-black cosmetic treatment on everything from the frame to the forks to distinguish it from its grey and white stablemate.
All things considered the entry-level Kalk INK still has some solid performance specs, and shares the same 56+ mph top speed and 280Nm of torque at the rear wheel. Overall weight is about 12 pounds heavier than the OR, but range figures remain the same at up to four hours of ride time in the economy-focused ride mode.
