This will be an ongoing list of questions I have posed to CAKE and their responses.
Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP)
One of the reasons I am able to afford ‘non essential items’ like the Kalk& is I am a good saver, but I’m also careful with my money. Learned from years of being stupid with money! LOL. Anyway I researched the CVPR rebate program knowing that EVs are eligible for a rebate. Zero motorcycles along with Harley, BMW and Energica among others are all eligible for a $750.00 rebate. At that level it amounts to a 5% rebate for the Kalk&. But in reviewing the website none of the Cake bikes are listed.
So I wrote to Cake on August 13 2020:
“I would like to inquire why CAKE is not listed as an eligible vehicle for the California Air Resources Board, the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP): https://cleanvehiclerebate.
It seems to be overlooked that any street EV two wheeled vehicle that is homologated in the USA should be on this list. Has CAKE as a company not applied with for this rebate project? The price of the KALK& as well as the INK SL is not insignificant and would greatly benefit from a rebate of any amount for customers. The average rebate for EV motorcycles is 750.00 which is 5% of the KALK&’s price and even a higher percentage for EV bikes like the Zero FX which is the closest to the KALK& in terms of function.
I certainly would like to apply for the CVRP rebate on my 2020 tax return and hope CAKE can provide me with more information.
Thank you, Mark”
Zach Clayton got back to me on the same day with this response:
“Hey Mark, Great question, Cake has applied for this however we have not been approved nor denied as the application has not gone through yet. We are working with them to get us up there as quickly as possible as an added benefit to our customers. Once we know more you will be informed.
Thanks, Zach Clayton”
I certainly hope that the CVRP gets back to Cake before too long and they are approved for this rebate program. I’m always impressed by the response from the staff at Cake. I want to reiterate that they have been very responsive and professional whenever I’ve had a question.
Charger
- Because I cannot see the actual battery level unless the seat is removed, once the level hits 100% my understanding is the fan on the charger stops. But the center light on the charger is blinking even after the battery shows 100%. Someone told me that the charger may be balancing the cells. What is going on during the center blinking step when the battery shows 100%
The charger relies on Voltage which is shown if you push and hold the (i) button on top of the battery, the percentage and should not be relied upon 100%. You can allow the charger to reach “full” and then check the voltage on top. Please send those numbers to me. Please get back to me on how long in total you had to charge before it hits full on the charger.
- If I power down the charger before the battery reaches 100% does it harm anything?
No even if you get an over voltage, the bike will go into a limited mode so no harm is done. This could also happen after fully charging if you go into brake mode 3 and heading downhill – so we recommend you to use no brake mode for the first 10 minutes. We have put in margins with the limited performance so you should not worry. Some of our chargers have performed a peak over our margins from time to time but the grey one you have got should not do this.
- I noticed that the battery does not seem to go into ‘complete’ mode where the center light is no longer blinking goes out and the full light is illuminated when the magnet is NOT on the kill switch. Must it remain there to show full on the charger?
Yes try that out and get back with feedback
July 21 2020 – as a follow up I tested charging the battery with the kill switch NOT on its native place. The charge light on my charger DID go to full even without the magnet on its normal position on the kill switch. The battery indicator showed 98% when the charger showed full, just FYI.
Also to note with the battery installed as normal when charging the battery using the upper battery charging port both the headlight and taillight illuminate. The ignition key was NOT inserted and turned on. This does not occur when charging the bike from the lower port. When charging from that lower port and I disconnect the plug the headlight momentarily flashes.
Display
- I’m assuming each bar represents ‘about’ 20% increments of the battery levels. How accurate are the bars and when should I begin to worry that I don’t have enough charge to make it home? Does the bike go into some sort of power mode when the battery is very low?
Yes about 20% and the bars on the display are more reliable than the battery display together with the charger. At the last bar going down to no bar you will feel a limited mode, it will shut down at about 8-10% at battery display – but don’t rely too much on the battery display since it can differ.
- Is there a way to get the display to default to MPH rather than KPH each time the bike starts?
You will get a new display during late summer – fall, this one will resolve this issue.
- Is there a way to recalibrate the speedometer so it’s not as optimistic? It’s about 5-8 MPH faster than GPS measured speed.
The new display together with new Firmware will solve this
- Are there plans to offer display upgrades or firmware update through the display?
If we/you have problems or if we will find a bug, your firmware will be updated via remote with our North America service center.
Recco
- Please explain how this works on the bike. Is it used specifically for search and rescue or also for theft? And how would I inform Cake/Police that my bike or I are lost?
The RECCO is a way that your bike can be found by anyone with a RECCO device. These are widely used in Europe. Here in the US RECCO is pretty much only used by Ski Search and Rescue.
Engine button
- What is the red button for on the engine?
- When should it be used?
The red button is used when completing a manual activation. A manual activation is like a ‘restart’. You will do this when you upgrade your firmware. So, that answers another question! Yes, the firmware can be upgraded. You should have the most recent firmware, 4.
Pending unanswered questions posed to Cake
Battery
- What connection points can be used to measure the voltage of the battery?
- Is it the pigtail at the top of the battery?
- Is the entire system 12v? Meaning things other than the engine, headlight, turn signals, etc.
- Is there a free auxiliary wire I can use to wire a USB plug into the bike?
- In the future as battery technology improves will Cake offer battery upgrades and can I turn in my current battery?
Rims
- Can the rims be made tubeless with seam tape and proper tires?
Ride Height
- How much adjustment do I have by either dropping or raising the fork legs in the triple clamps?