Have you finally received your Bonfire, but suspect that your bike has one or more defects? Then you are exactly right here!

The page is updated regularly and contains all common Bonfire errors and their fixes. We also clarify what is not a defect. And very important: We'll show you how to properly care for your motorcycle so that this doesn't happen.

Unfortunately, this is a classic because many people forget to check their tire pressure regularly. Because your Bonfire loses up to 0.2 bar per week.

Why is that? Your Bonfire has spoke wheels and some air always escapes through the spokes via the hose. Just like with a bicycle, you have to check the air pressure regularly (preferably every 2 weeks) and inflate it if necessary.

So if you have a flat rear wheel, it's very likely that you haven't pumped up your Bonfire for several months and then set off with a flat tire. When I started driving, the tire and the tube twisted slightly and the tube tore at the valve.

What are you doing now? Now you have to remove the rear wheel and have the hose changed at a workshop. Then reinstall it and check the air pressure regularly from now on ;)

Maybe you just started driving and the vehicle didn't really want to accelerate. Then it started jerking and then you smelled something. After you opened the battery box (and there was a strong smell of melted plastic), you saw that one or both battery connectors were burned out.

This usually happens when the plug is not fully plugged in. That's why we mention it so often: plug the battery connector in as far as it will go!

If you write to our customer service, clean the battery and vehicle connectors with contact cleaner beforehand. In most cases the plug is still OK, but the plastic may be slightly damaged. Then send us a few photos so that we can take a closer look or give you tips.

Then do a short lap on your Bonfire (maximum 5 minutes) and check whether the plugs don't get too hot.

If everything is OK, you can continue to use the plugs and batteries. If not, our customer service will replace the plug for you.

A defect occurs if the plug no longer makes proper contact with the vehicle after a long period of use and therefore becomes hot even though it is fully plugged in. This is manifested by a slight crackling sound. If your vehicle is new and this error suddenly occurs, it is often because you simply did not plug in the plug completely.

Yes, the right front brake is not as strong as the left CBS brake. Due to EU regulations, the CBS brake has to brake really well (deceleration of 4.9 m/s^2), while the front brake only has to brake half as well (2.5 m/s^2). The front wheel brake is only considered an auxiliary brake and the combined brake is considered a main brake. For this reason, the CBS brake activates 2 pistons at the front and 2 pistons at the rear, while the front brake only activates one piston at the front.

As mentioned above, the CBS brake activates a total of 4 pistons, which requires more brake fluid to be pushed through the brakes. Therefore the lever can be pulled closer to the handlebars.

Your Bonfire has sintered brake pads installed on the front brake. These must be run in for at least 100 km. You should not brake too hard while driving in, so in the best case scenario, do not use the emergency brake. After running in, you should notice how your brakes grip significantly better.

PS : In 2024 the brakes will be updated to equalize the movement of the right and left brake levers. We would be happy to replace the brake levers during your next service so that you can benefit from the brake update.

Yes, the front tires are mounted the other way around and that is correct.

It may seem strange that the front tires are mounted differently, but Heidenau wants the tires mounted exactly that way. Our explanation is that the front tires need more grip when braking and the rear tire needs more grip when accelerating.

Yes, the Bonfire's wheels are not always perfectly centered.

We have a tolerance of 3 mm to the right and 7 mm to the left on the rear wheel. The rear wheel is usually mounted further to the left because the Bonfire has more weight on the left side due to the large front brake, the position of the battery cells in the battery and the hub motor. To prevent the Boinfire from tipping to the left, the wheels tend to be mounted slightly to the left. For the front wheel we only have a tolerance of 2 mm to the right and 4 mm to the left.

Sometimes the offset on the rear wheel can appear larger because the fender doesn't run completely straight back either. The mudguard can also be mounted offset from the center by up to 3 mm.

If the position of your bike is out of tolerance, please contact our Rider Support ( service@blackteamotorbikes.com ).

The Bonfire has a tolerance of 2.8 mm for both side runout and vertical runout for spoke rims. Since spoked rims need to be centered manually, your rim may not be perfectly round. However, as long as your rims are within the specified tolerances, your driving behavior will not be affected.

If your bike's lateral or vertical runout falls out of tolerance, please contact our rider support.

Handlebar shake can also occur on your Bonfire, even if there is no defect.

This effect causes a torsional vibration around the steering axis. You can usually recognize the effect from 60 km/h by the vibrations in the handlebars. The fluttering should decrease from 80 km/h and be barely noticeable from 100 km/h. The handlebar flutter is more pronounced when coasting or at constant speed, while nothing is noticeable during the acceleration phase due to the unloaded front wheel.

The following defects can lead to handlebar wobble and should be examined by you:
- Front wheel is not centered, which means the vertical and lateral runout are out of tolerance
- The front wheel is not balanced (you can tell by the fact that there are no balancing weights stuck to the rim)
- The front tire is not mounted correctly (you can tell by the line on the side of the tire)
- The steering head bearing is too loose and has play (you can tell because it makes noise when you brake)

In most cases, you can get rid of the fluttering quickly. Check the tire pressure once and inflate it if necessary. If the steering head bearing is too loose, tighten it slightly.

We also have other tips to reduce fluttering:
- Shift as much weight forward as possible, that means leaning forward more or driving alone
- Drive as aerodynamically as possible, without a top case and without side bags
- Correct tire pressure.
- The fork stabilizer stiffens the fork and should also mitigate the effect
- Switch from off-road tires to road tires, which, in addition to providing better driving comfort, are also less prone to handlebar folds

If your rear wheel is more than 3° offset from the front wheel, please contact our customer service. Either your swing arm or your frame needs to be replaced.

Yes, that's normal, because the Bonfire has floating caliper brakes installed. The special feature is that the brake caliper is floating and the pistons are only actuated on one side. This is why one side of the brake pads almost always rubs against the brake disc. This noise changes with speed and can also have a rotating noise due to the nature of the brake disc. You don't have to worry because motorcycles with internal combustion engines make the same noise, but of course you can't hear it because of the engine noise.

Yes, that can be normal. The Bonfire has two rotating parts: the front wheel and the rear hub motor. Each wheel has two shaft seals to protect the axle and bearings from dirt. These shaft seals are made of rubber and touch both the rim and the axle. They sometimes make squeaking noises as they rotate.

If these shaft seals make noise, you know that they are working and protecting your bearings from dirt. That's a good thing. To minimize the noise, you can clean your axle and use some oil/grease.

Sometimes the swingarm also squeaks. Here you can simply put some axle grease on the swingarm axle and some axle grease between the frame and swingarm. If you want to do it quickly, you can also spray WD40 between the frame and swingarm, that should help for a few days.

If the squeaking from the axles (front or rear wheel) does not disappear after 100 km, please contact our Rider Service. We don't currently have a perfect solution for this, but we're working on it.

Yes, that can happen. One of the disadvantages of a hub motor is that it gets hot quickly because it only has one gear. To keep the engine cool, we recommend the following steps:

- Make sure you have the correct pressure in the tires (or even slightly higher than recommended to reduce friction)

- Try driving alone

- Try to stay at a constant speed and accelerate less

- When driving uphill, try to go faster than 40 km/h

Remember that the Bonfire S, E and X are not designed for climbing steep hills. The Bonfire should be able to cope with a constant climb of up to 10%, but after 200 meters of altitude it is usually over.

The Bonfire Y is the better choice because it can handle steeper climbs (up to 25%) and higher altitudes without any problems.

You can also install our air-cooled kit, which reduces heat and ensures that you can ride longer: Air-cooled kit