Cake Bukk: New off-road electric motorcycle from Sweden

Cake has announced its latest model, the Bukk, an off-road electric motorcycle with a limited initial production run. 

The Bukk is the latest motorcycle from Cake and will be a part of their 2023 roster. The name comes from the historical language from the Swedish island of Gotland. 

In modern times, Gotland is almost entirely Swedish-speaking, but historically its own language separate from that of the mainland Swedes was the dominant one on the island. In the old Gotland tongue, “bukk” means Thunder Cloud, which sort of hints at the performance of Cake’s newest off-roader. 

In that sense, the headline figure is the peak torque output of 420Nm from the motor, which also produces 16kW (21.5 horsepower) which puts it towards the top-end of the 125cc-equivalent category. 

For a small manufacturer like Cake, that is an impressive performance, although in terms of off-roading it still lacks punch compared to an 85cc two-stroke, for example, and at 85kg it is about 10kg heavier than a 2019 KX85. But, OEM motocross machines are not necessarily Cake’s target with the Bukk, anyway. 

“The Bukk is about launching CAKEs 4th platform,” Cake CEO Stefan Ytterborn said. “Compared to our current product line it adds a layer of performance.”

Ytterborn sees electric bikes as something of themselves, rather than the next step after the age of burning fossil fuels is over. “Everything will be electric in 5-6 years from now. Resistance is fading with the technology superseding combustion engine bikes. Still, I’d say that the ability to develop specific vessels taking into account the character of the electric drivetrain is absent.”

Ytterborn’s hope is that by focusing totally on electric from the start, Cake will have an advantage over others, who still focus on combustion, and whose electric motorcycles are heavy.

“Building flighty and light is the way forward,” he said, “instead of just swapping drivetrain from combustion to electric with bikes ending up being heavier than [their] ancestors.”

Aside from outright performance, the Bukk also features a swappable 2.9kWh battery that can charge to 80% in 100 minutes, and to 100% in 150 minutes. 

Coming to the chassis and we find that it is not only the power that is taken seriously by Cake with the Bukk, as it uses 43mm WP Cone Valve air forks at the front offering 243mm of wheel travel. At the back, Ohlins supplies a custom (for Cake) S46 rear shock providing 297mm of wheel travel. 

The front forks are connected to a 19-inch front wheel, while at the back there is an 18-inch wheel.

Braking is done via a 260mm front disc with four-piston calliper and a 220mm rear disc with two-piston calliper. Additionally, braking is electronically adjustable between three different regenerative braking maps. 

The power is also electronically adjustable, with three different riding modes available on the Bukk. Ergonomically speaking, the seat height is set at 965mm when the bike is unloaded, and the wheelbase is 1,360mm.

The initial production run of the Bukk will be for just 50 units. Orders were open from 8 November, and require a £1,000 deposit, before a final payment of £12,780. 

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