Eliminate all taste and other pretensions, and when you return to the essentials, any car, truck, motorcycle or bicycle, whatever its value or design, is the same: a means of transport Fix a seat (or seats) with wheels.
Swedish electric motorcycle manufacturer CAKE (yes, all in capital letters) has perfected this unique concept with its small diversity of award-winning ultra-minimalist machines, but nowhere is the concept more austere than with still seductive ‘sa’ machines.
And the taste, if you can call it that, might seem strange or minimalist, deserves to know yes, your furtive suspicion that those machines are headed to the territory of IKEA design (or Apple) is justified: lead from CAKE’s design and According to a corporate spokesman, founder Stefan Ytterborn was “the initiator and director” of the design and progression of the IKEA product from 1993 to 1996. Fortunately for me, the ‘Sa’ did not require any meetings upon arrival.
But the IKEA link is very positive in my book, because I like the look of the ‘sa’ (called ‘eyah-sah’, not ‘ooosa’, means pick up or pour) and because I also like to see corporations pushing the envelope regarding the design probabilities of electric transport. The ‘asa’ is really on the edge of style, but like its remote furniture cousins, genuine and good looks lie in its simplicity, very functional shape and design intelligence. Not the only one in its niche, the well-known Honda Ruckus scooters and the electric UBCO 2X2 also occupy the frame category and not much else. And admit it, when you saw it, you were probably torn apart. Is it ugly? Cold? So ugly, is that great? Discuss.
And like you, I had an urgent consultation after seeing you in person for the first time at the eclectic (and preparatory) One Motorcycle Show in Portland. What’s it like to walk around the city on something so … Different?
Introducing ‘Sa’ – Tech
The CAKE will be held in two editions, a “cyclomple” edition of up to 30 mph called ‘A Lite’ and the toughest edition ‘Sa’ (‘Plus’) that can succeed in 60 mph. From a visual and design point of view, the two editions are almost the same. Both are legal on the road with the required lighting fixtures and flashing lights, the Plus edition will likely require motorcycle approval in the U.S. states. I won an edition of the bike, with a popular battery of 50 Ah, 2.5 kWh.
The design is focused and built around a long single aluminum beam that bureaucracy of the motorcycle’s spine and to which everything is attached. There is no bodywork, however, the ‘A’ has wide wings, popular DOT motorcycle lighting and familiar handlebar controls. A tubular auxiliary frame carries the battery, which must be held in two capacities.
In addition, the battery is modular and only takes a few seconds to exit the frame, allowing the driving force to update the force materials and keep rolling, or use the force source for anything else. A 12-volt power source and two USB plugs are in stock, and an optional AC inverter allows users to force almost anything that connects to a normal output, up to 1500 watts. A small LCD panel on the wide handlebar transmits speed, battery point and other information. The panel buttons tilt the engine output and the recovery braking points.
Mine was a pre-production model, but as close as possible to the end of production, with only the middle crutch, footrests and some other main points of what users will get when they lose $8,500 for the Plus edition (the Lite starts at $6,500) with a popular battery, which provides approximately 37 miles of battery life in the city. On the CAKE website, I set up a ‘sa’ just to laugh with a bigger battery, baskets, an extra seat and some other items, and the value exceeded $10,000. Raide, but from what you get, is also moderate given the fact that machines almost require almost no maintenance, never want gas and are designed for everyday use, adding as painthorses for a number of paint scenarios. In addition, the Plus can succeed at speeds close to road speeds, and any edition can handle a smooth off-road trip.
Obviously, machines are designed as advertising cars, for the most part. CAKE offers a wide variety of shipping accessories, such as baskets, luggage racks, bags and shipping boxes, as well as less-expected features such as a surfboard stand. You can also get a passenger seat. All, adding the headlight and seat, adheres to the central beam using a very clever clamping formula that uses two quick release levers. This formula provides maximum flexibility in setting the ‘A’, and CAKE indicates that there are about 1000 other combinations imaginable. I guess. The pliers are easy to care for and, although I couldn’t check any of the cargo shipping elements during my brief ride with the bike, it’s transparent that the ‘A’ are incredibly versatile.
Riding experience
Turning on the ‘A’ is undeniable and, within seconds, you’re in a position to start. Drivers can choose between 3 degrees of output force and two degrees of brake regeneration, and with 10,000 watts of force pushing less than two hundred pounds (more driving force and load), the Faster is gaining speed. The wide, dual-sport tires wrap around small 15-inch wheels, but the ‘A’ has a wheelbase of 53 inches, making it solid and fast to turn. It’s very undeniable to drive. There is no gear and the engine forces the rear wheel through a belt right next to the drive shaft, so it is spinning like maximum electric bikes today. And while maximum electric motorcycles are known to be silent, the I-Ssa had buzzed as they made their way down the road. It’s not unpleasant at all, however, other people can hear me coming.
With the smaller wheels and unique layout, the Ösa is no sportbike, but the ride is compliant due to stout but well-sorted suspension front and rear. Disc brakes with stainless steel lines provide stout stopping power, and the deep tread makes easy work of rain-soaked roads, gravel byways and even light trails as I found out while traipsing through a local wooded area for some photos. There is no ABS as of yet.
Acceleration on the Plus when configured with full force is fast enough, and although the seat cleverly is not designed for long-distance outings, it was very convenient to move around the city to buy groceries or just for fun. I only had the ‘sa’ for a short time, so I drove it as occasionally as possible, and although CAKE can promote it as a definitive application machine, it was so wonderful to enjoy a ride without any other explanation as to why just enjoy a ride: the hallmark of any smart bike. Be ready to answer MANY questions when you prevention somewhere.
Conclusion
So what to do with the ‘sa’? It would be simple to dismiss the CAKE ‘sa’ as a taste painting or an Array flight … it’s not luxurious, but up close, you temporarily appreciate the main points and reflected image that have entered the machine. Of course, it is designed to be a two-wheeled paint vehicle, whether you’re in town or at peaks, but it also has a higher goal by being also a laugh to drive when you do the task.
Being a pre-production unit (and being in the middle of a pandemic), I didn’t have the chance to “put it to work,” but I found I rode it very often, even though I had much higher-spec electric bikes in for review at the time. Why? Because on balance, it was good, simple fun to zip around on, and less fussy than a regular full-size bike. The perky motor, wide handlebar and surprisingly strong brakes made it an urban warrior in traffic, and the smaller wheels give it a low seat height and quick maneuverability while underway. I even took it down a few (well-trafficked) forest trails with no problems.
Utility vehicle? Of course, you can call it that. But the genuine charm of the ‘Sa’ lies beyond its ability to send and compete. When the paintings are finished, the ‘a’ is in a position to play and it seems that there is nothing else in the way. It is an exclusive and desirable motorcycle that generates an attractive long journey in the design of electric motorcycles.
CAKE ‘sa’ – Electric motorcycle: $8500 MSRP and as tested
Duktig:
The minimalist design has its own flavor.
Ingenious expandability
Almost configuration possibilities
Fast, simple and fun to perform
High quality and materials
Delig:
Short diversity with battery
The basic features of the application are expanding the value of
Maybe your idea of flavor
Time spent answering viewer questions
You want to think about the cake? I post my articles on Twitter, my Facebook page, and my LinkedIn post page, so I post a comment there. I’m interested in your feedback. Thank you for reading and click “Follow” below to see my new articles when they are published on Forbes.com.
Writer, photographer and generation evangelist. I am also an avid motorcyclist, enthusiast and chronicler of the continuous evolution of mobility technologies.