Black Tea Motorbikes: Practical e‑Motos That Make Sense
- Buck City Biker
- Dec 12
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 14
When it comes to electric motorcycles, a lot of big brands chase futuristic styling and pack in enough connectivity to make your brain hurt. Black Tea Motorbikes, a small Munich-born outfit founded in 2020, is playing a different game: smart, user-friendly machines designed for real riders. Their line-up focuses on bikes that are easy to live with, easy to repair or modify, and fundamentally practical for everyday use.
These bikes are thoughtfully engineered with modularity and owner accessibility at the core. Batteries are removable, the electrical layout is designed for straightforward servicing, optional charging solutions, and there’s a growing ecosystem of add-ons and accessories you can bolt on at home. That matters — especially if you don’t have a dealer around the corner, or if you simply like getting your hands dirty.
BTM – The Line-up
BTM currently lists three core models on their website: the Bonfire 45, Bonfire, and the higher‑end Wildfire.
Bonfire 45
The entry point into the Black Tea world, the Bonfire 45 delivers accessible electric performance and classic motorcycle proportions.
Top Speed: 28 mph (45 km/h)
Motor: Peak power 5 kW hub motor
Torque: 180 Nm
Battery: Removable, 52v 2.2kWh lithium with optional second pack
Range: 31-62 miles (50–100 km)
Charging: 20-80 % 2hours / battery
Class: L1e (EU)
Bonfire
A step up from the 45 model, the Bonfire adds power and speed while keeping things manageable. There's two models on offer, Standard and Performance.
Top Speed Standard: 59mph (95km/h)
Top Speed Performance: 71.5mph (115km/h)
Motor: 8kW peak power Standard - 17kW peak power Performance
Torque: 180 Nm Standard - 350Nm Performance
Battery: Samsung
Range:
@ 31mph (50 km/h): 80 miles (130 km)
@ 55mph (90 km/h): 62 miles (100 km)
@ 62mph (100 km/h): 43miles (70 km)
Charging 20-80%:
170 minutes with standard 1.2kW charger
90 minutes with optional 2kW charger
Class: L3e (EU)
This puts the Bonfire in real‑world commuter territory and comfortably confident for city traffic.
Wildfire
At the top of the tree is the Wildfire, a more substantial electric machine that bridges urban utility with open‑road capability. Offered with a second battery option which increases power and range.
Power: 17 kW peak / up to 34 kW peak with two packs
Top Speed: 68mph (110km/h) / up to 77.6mph (125km/h) with 2 batteries
Range per Battery:
@ 31mph (50 km/h): 80 miles (130 km)
@ 55mph (90 km/h): 62 miles (100 km)
@ 62mph (100 km/h): 43 miles (70 km)
@ 74.5mph (120 km/h): 31 miles (50 km)
Battery: Modular removable packs (each 6.6 kWh)
Charging: Optional on-board 2, 3.3, 6.6 and 9kW (higher options only available with two batteries)
Brakes: CBS standard, ABS optional
Class: L3e
What Makes Black Tea Different
Black Tea Motorcycles began with Viktor Sommer, a student who looked around the market and saw… nothing he actually wanted to ride. So instead of crying about it, he built his own electric moped while still deep in his studies. A successful round of crowdfunding followed, giving Black Tea the fuel to move from a one-off garage project to a small but ambitious manufacturer. With limited early production, customer feedback became a crucial part of their development loop—not just critique, but inspiration and community support.
That lineage of owner-first design philosophy is still the brand’s biggest differentiator. Repairability, modularity, and long-term usability aren’t just marketing slogans — they’re the foundation the bikes are built on.
Components are intentionally designed to be accessed, removed, and replaced with basic tools. It’s a nod to riders who want to maintain and evolve their machine, not just park it and polish it. Whether it’s optional ABS on the Wildfire, dual-battery capability on the Bonfire, or the bolt-on racks, windscreens, and storage kits across the lineup, Black Tea encourages riders to tailor the bike to their lives. The result is bikes that are practical, adaptable machines built to grow with their owners.
Final Thought — Smart Bikes for Smart Riders
Black Tea Motorcycles aren’t mass-market machines — and that’s exactly the point. They’re a thoughtful take on what urban and near-urban electric riding should be: accessible, practical, modular, and genuinely built with the rider in mind.
Whether you’re skipping between city streets, or a bit further with two batteries tucked in, Black Tea’s line-up rewards riders who prioritise real-world usability and smart engineering over flash-in-the-pan hype. The addition of high-power charging on the new models is a welcome, rider-centric upgrade — something we hear plenty of requests for. And with a generous list of modular add-ons and options, these bikes offer a level of flexibility that’s rare in the e-moto world.
Ride safe, folks.
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