Cake’s electric motorcycle looks exactly like you would expect high-end products from Swedish designers: sleek, functional and minimalist. So who better to customize one than German Hookie Co.?
The Dresden-based custom house is known for its keen eye and fresh style — and they’re familiar with Cake’s powertrain. Their other world Tardigrade The mid-autumn car concept is supported by Cake and they have produced a set of bolt attachments for Cake’s Ösa e-bike. Now they’ve taken the second concept even further, with an Ösa-based drag racer.
The idea of a silent drag race sounds weird, but that’s exactly what’s happening this September. The big Geralt 101 festival is finally back after a long pandemic-induced hiatus — and now it includes an electric-only race. The Hookie Company will line up on this sharp little whip, dubbed the ‘Silver Ant’.
Hookie Co. chose a handpicked Ösa+ model for their build. The gears give it the equivalent of a 125 cc petrol scooter, with a 10 kW motor and a top speed of 90 km/h. [56 mph]. But this one is a bit faster.
Hookie ripped out the control software to save as much power as possible. They’re still tweaking it, but they know what their goals are; 160 km/hr [100 mph].
However, it’s not just about top speed. This acceleration curve on Ösa+ is far from the reserve line, and the engine braking has been tuned to the point where the bike only needs one brake. It’s a whole new world of performance tuning.
In addition, the Ösa+ is made for travel and freight, with a tailored design. Hookie needed to adjust their stance for the drag band, so they swapped the forks for a lower set from the Ösa Lite. They kept the OEM swingarm, fork and 14-inch wheels but added a set of Michelin City Grip 2 tires.
The rest of the frame is bone – that’s an important aspect of this project. The Hookie Company is well versed in the science of building plug-and-play kits, and Ösa+ is modular. So, aside from a new wrinkled black coat on the swingarm and mainframe backbone, nothing has been taken on the chassis itself.
The Hookie simply stripped off the stock trim and outfitted an alternate version of them’Ant‘ tights. The solid aluminum cap screws into the bike’s existing mounting points, with slightly more coverage than Hookie’s original Ant design. There are no seats on this one – just some duct tape to keep the rider from slipping off his back.
Cake’s digital dashboard has been moved from its traditional perch to the top of the body kit, just behind the bars. A cutout on the left side of the main panel provides access to the charging port.
The pedal position is as dedicated as you’d expect from a bike designed for straight-line sprints. The clip-on is mounted on the extremely low front, fitted with Hookie’s own translucent ‘Frozen’ handle.
The controls are basically as they come. The right has the starter and throttle switches, and the left has the redesigned Magura hydraulic clutch control to operate the front (and only) brake. Their foot pegs and parking are custom, and sit as far away as possible.
Hookie also makes their own headlights and taillights, each with a small LED grid. Both lights are controlled by an Arduino controller, allowing the Hookie to customize the ‘display’ at each end.
And if you’re wondering what the antenna on the back is for, it’s a wireless tuner. Hookie is developing a system that provides remote access to the engine and battery software, but they’re still figuring out some range and reliability issues.
On the surface, Hookie’s Silver Ant is a knockout. It’s compact and pixel perfect, with the bold graphics we’ve come to expect from this team. But it seems like it would be a myth to ride — especially when they’re trying to hit the numbers they’re aiming for.
We can’t wait to see what other electrical oddities will line up at Geralt 101.
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