Help with your e-moped problems

Unfortunately, this is a classic, as many people forget to check their tire pressure regularly. This is because your e-moped loses up to 0.2 bar per week.

Why is that the case? Your Bonfire has spoked wheels and some air always escapes through the spokes via the inner tube. Just like with a bicycle, you need to check the air pressure regularly (ideally every 2 weeks) and inflate if necessary.

So if you have a flat rear wheel, it is very likely that you have not inflated your e-moped for several months and then set off with a flat tire. When you set off, the tire with the inner tube twisted a little and the inner tube tore at the valve.

What do you do now? Now you have to remove the rear wheel and have the tube changed in a workshop. Then reinstall it and check the air pressure regularly from now on ;)

You may have just set off and your e-motorcycle didn't really want to accelerate. Then it started to jerk and then you smelled something. After you opened the battery box (and it smelled strongly of melted plastic), you saw that one or both battery plugs were burnt out. 

In most cases, this happens if the plug is not fully inserted. That's why we mention it so often: connect the battery plug all the way in!

If you write to our customer service, clean the battery and e-moped plugs with contact cleaner beforehand. In most cases, the plug is still in good condition, only the plastic may be slightly damaged. Then send us a few photos so that we can take a closer look or give you some tips. 

Then go for a short spin on your Bonfire (maximum 5 minutes) and check that the plugs don't get too hot. 

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

A defect is present 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 indicated by a slight crackling noise. If your e-motorcycle is new and this fault suddenly occurs, it is often because you have simply not fully connected the plug. 

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). This is because the front brake is only an auxiliary brake and the combined brake is the 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 is why more brake fluid has to be pressed through the brakes. The lever can therefore be pulled closer to the handlebars. 

Sintered brake pads are fitted to the front brake on your Bonfire . These must be run in for at least 100 km. Do not brake too hard during the running-in period, so ideally do not use the emergency brake. After running in, you should notice how your brakes grip much better. 

PS: In 2024, the brakes will be updated to align the movement of the right and left brake levers. We will be happy to replace the brake levers in 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 to be mounted exactly the same way. Our explanation is that the front tires need more grip when braking and the rear wheel needs more grip when accelerating.

Yes, the wheels of the Bonfire 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 normally mounted further to the left, as 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. On 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, as the mudguard does not run completely straight to the rear. The mudguard can also be mounted up to 3 mm off-center.

If the position of your bike is out of tolerance, please contact our Rider Support ([email protected]).

The Bonfire has a tolerance of 2.8 mm for both lateral and radial runout for spoked rims. As rims with spokes have to be centered manually, your rim may not be perfectly round. However, as long as your rims are within the specified tolerances, your handling will not be affected.

If the lateral or radial runout of your bike is out of tolerance, please contact our Rider Support. 

Handlebar flutter 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. Handlebar flutter is more pronounced when coasting or at constant speed, while nothing can be felt during acceleration due to the front wheel being unloaded.

The following faults can lead to handlebar flutter and should be investigated by you:
- The front wheel is not centered, i.e. the radial 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 on the rim)
- The front tire is not fitted 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 by the noise it makes when you brake)

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

We also have other tips to reduce flutter:
- Shift as much weight forward as possible, i.e. lean forward more or ride alone
- Ride as aerodynamically as possible, without a top case and without side bags
- Correct the tire pressure.
- The fork stabilizer stiffens the fork and should also reduce the effect
- Change from off-road tires to road tires, which are more comfortable and less prone to handlebar wobble

If your rear wheel is more than 3° out of alignment with the front wheel, please contact our customer service. Either your swingarm or your frame will need to be replaced.

Yes, this is normal, because floating caliper brakes are installed in the Bonfire . The special feature is that the brake calliper is mounted on a floating bearing and the pistons are only actuated on one side. As a result, one side of the brake pads almost always rubs against the brake disk. This noise changes with the speed and can also have a rotating noise due to the nature of the brake disk. You don't have to worry, because motorcycles with 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 oil seals to protect the axle and bearings from dirt. These oil seals are made of rubber and touch both the rim and the axle. They sometimes make squeaking noises due to the rotation.

If these oil seals make a noise, you know that they work and protect 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 apply some axle grease to 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, which should help for a few days. 

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

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

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

- Try to drive alone

- Try to stay at a constant speed and accelerate less

- If you are riding uphill, try to ride faster than 40 km/h.

The Bonfire should be able to cope with a constant climb of up to 10%, but after 200 meters in altitude it usually stops.

The Bonfire Performance is the better choice, as it can master steeper climbs (up to 25%) and more vertical meters without any problems.

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