Traveling 13,000 kilometers from Spain to South Africa, Cake B2B Account Manager Sinje Gottwald has completed the longest-distance ride on an electric motorcycle. Her 124-day journey on the Cake Kalk AP spanned the West Coast of Africa, including through deep sand in Morocco and over muddy and waterlogged jungle tracks in Guinea Bissau.
The feat is far beyond the bike’s intended purpose, as it was originally designed for short bursts of riding. Gottwald brought two batteries, two chargers, and spare parts, including a controller, display, throttle, chain, and fuses. She also packed a laptop to handle any software updates or remote support requests the bike may have required. “The Kalk was simply amazing,” she says. “Maintenance was almost zero, adjusting and lubing the chain was basically it.”
Gottwald notes that the most difficult part of the journey was finding places to charge. “In some areas it was extremely difficult, and I had to plan the day very thoroughly. Many times, I didn’t know if I would find a place to charge at all! I had a couple of minor crashes in difficult terrain at low speed, but more than once I was almost run over by cars; traffic is crazy and cars that overtake don’t leave any space!” The bike experienced zero flat tires, required less than 140 charges, and drew attention along the way. “Whenever I stopped people would come and ask about it,” Gottwald says. “Many said it was the first time for them to see an electric motorcycle.”
Sinje is no stranger to long-distance adventure motorcycle riding. In 2017, she completed a solo circumnavigation of the world. Her other expeditions include traveling overland from Europe to Asia, exploring Australia, overlanding from South to North America, and from Morocco to Mali. “My dream was to see the world with my own eyes,” she says. “With this adventure I not only wanted to open up my own and people’s views and ideas about this continent but also give an example of what is possible even if the challenges seem too big at first. We are capable of a lot more than we think.”
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