Kenevo Gen1 2019 Kenevo Expert Battery Cracked

[KenevoDan]

I have a 2019 Kenevo Expert and my just cracked at the top retaining bolt. No batteries in stock and my local shop I purchased it from has no idea when I will get it back. I also reached out to Specialized and they said the same thing. I've only been on a dozzen rides or so with it. I think the frame flexed and the battery cracked.

 

[KenevoDan]

I was riding down a slow technical section when I heard a snap. I got to the bottom and everything seemed fine. Removed the battery to charge and noticed the giant crack. I have the missing piece so I can prove it wasn’t dropped. I was only going about 3 mph when it happened. My only thought is that the frame flexed so much it twisted where the retaining bolt is and the plastic cracked.

 

[KenevoDan]

Just got an update from my local shop where I bought the bike. Specialized said no to warranty on the battery. What a load of crap! If I call them and they don't replace it, I'll never buy another bike from them. Sad to see this is how they respond to customers and local shops. Might be selling a like new Kenevo Expert with a cracked battery lol.

 

[Zimmerframe]

I noticed you posted on the other thread too where there had been battery breakages, starting with some early Levo's.

Levo Battery Mount Cracked

Hi My Levo battery botom mount cracked. I believe its due to flex in the frame, but Specialized refuse to warrant it with the excuse that it's not a manufacturing fault. Have anybody experienced similar? I recommend that you inspect your battery's for hair cracks before the main crack occurs...

www.emtbforums.com

The difference being that they were all at the bottom.

I know sometimes getting the angle correct to get the battery in and out can be tricky and I know with mine it's felt like I could easily force it due to the half meter leverage of the battery and possibly even damage it without even realising, only seeing it later. Or equally easy, hitting something with that area or higher up and again leveraging a crack. I know I've caught mine there a couple of times, in some abysmal riding moments, so hard that people have remarked about the sound when we got to the bottom.

Or again, it could be frame flex as some others suggested. It's difficult to imagine, the Kenevo frame is incredibly rigid and many get abused horribly and you don't see cracked batteries.

Where yours has broken, the frame is braced right above it as part of the X-brace, So the frame is about 1cm thick in places there, not counting the rigidity of another structural member welded on at 90 degrees.

You can understand why Specialized would be reluctant to accept it as a warranty claim from frame flex. If the battery was dropped or you had a really unlucky angular impact on a rock, you'd imagine that would damage it. Or, over tightening the battery bolt could crush it and then cause it to crack.

Who knows, either way, it sounds like you're out of luck. I think as Al suggested on the other thread, check with your dealer if they can find you an empty case from a dead battery.

Weirdly, as they're pretty rare, someone else had a cracked battery the other day :

Kenevo Gen1 - Hi kenevo gen 1 battery case issue

Hi noticed my case on my gen 1 battery has a crack starting on one side and wondering if there is any way of getting a new casing if so where could I get one as don’t want to start getting water ingress and trashing the inside Has anyone else had this happen

www.emtbforums.com

As you have the broken part, I think I'd be tempted to just glue that back on, make sure it's all sealed and just use it. The support bar is still in place so you could just fill the void round there with Epoxy - especially as it looks like you have a crack on the other side in one of the photo's. Then be really careful with how you tighten the battery bolt.

 

[KenevoDan]

Here you can see it was not due to a crash or rock hit while riding.

 

[Zimmerframe]

It might just be the photo's, but your battery looks like it stands proud of the frame by about 1 mm?? I think mine normally site perfectly flush, or is in by maybe 0.25mm

I think the first time I ever put it in (I assembled the bike) it stood proud like that because the guide was mounted on the bottom of the battery the wrong way round and it was really difficult to get the battery bolt in.

 

[KenevoDan]

It might just be the photo's, but your battery looks like it stands proud of the frame by about 1 mm?? I think mine normally site perfectly flush, or is in by maybe 0.25mm

I think the first time I ever put it in (I assembled the bike) it stood proud like that because the guide was mounted on the bottom of the battery the wrong way round and it was really difficult to get the battery bolt in.

The battery has always looked like that and it was never hard to bolt in. The bike was assembled by the local dealer who sold it to me and has been in for one tune up. I just got back from picking it up and going to glue the battery back together and put a velcro strap around the down tube when riding. The last thing I want is to be in a down hill section and have the battery fall out. It's cracked all the way across the metal insert and not too confident in it. But I'm also not going to just discard the battery.