Levo Gen 2 End of life for the Levo?

[Pabloaguas]

I have a 2021 Levo... only 700 miles on it. Already had the motor replaced once, but the motor they replaced it with broke on the third ride. Now the Specialized dealer is trying to say that I'm out of warranty (it's been 2.5 years) and that I would have to pay $1300 for a motor. Seems a large price to pay for a motor that is so poorly designed.

I guess I could send my motor off to be serviced by a third party, but even then its several hundred dollars every several hundred miles...

So, wondering what people are doing with their Levos when the cost of maintaining them gets to be more than they are worth? What do you do with the frame when you have decided that it's simply not worth it, and you would rather have something reliable like bosch or yamaha or even bafang? I suppose I can sell the frame, battery and busted motor on ebay, but I will never recoup the cost of this thing.
Wondering if anyone has seen any other motors retrofitted onto the Levo? I suppose someone has to be doing it, considering the despicable track record of Brose.... someone has to be engineering a kit to retrofit a reliable motor into these obsolete frames, right? With the number of these unusable frames out there, you think someone would be making an overhaul kit...

 

[KnollyBro]

I have a 2021 Levo... only 700 miles on it. Already had the motor replaced once, but the motor they replaced it with broke on the third ride. Now the Specialized dealer is trying to say that I'm out of warranty (it's been 2.5 years) and that I would have to pay $1300 for a motor. Seems a large price to pay for a motor that is so poorly designed.

I guess I could send my motor off to be serviced by a third party, but even then its several hundred dollars every several hundred miles...

So, wondering what people are doing with their Levos when the cost of maintaining them gets to be more than they are worth? What do you do with the frame when you have decided that it's simply not worth it, and you would rather have something reliable like bosch or yamaha or even bafang? I suppose I can sell the frame, battery and busted motor on ebay, but I will never recoup the cost of this thing.
Wondering if anyone has seen any other motors retrofitted onto the Levo? I suppose someone has to be doing it, considering the despicable track record of Brose.... someone has to be engineering a kit to retrofit a reliable motor into these obsolete frames, right? With the number of these unusable frames out there, you think someone would be making an overhaul kit...

Sounds like you didnt like the bike all that much. I will buck up for a new motor if I have to, when the warranty expires as buying a replacement bike would cost way more. I have had 2 motors on my 22 KSL replaced but I am not willing to drop another $10+ even if there was something that sounds THAT much better. Third time is a charm! Think of it as 2 more years warranty and go out and ride your bike!

 

[irie]

Sounds like you didnt like the bike all that much ...

Sounds like he didn't like the motor frequently shitting itself. ISTM that rather than repeating the story, it would be better to take a one time financial hit, then buy a different bike with similar performance but with a far more reliable motor. YMMV of course.

 

[Swissrider]

Why don’t you get your motor repaired by ebike repair centre (formally performance line bearings). I had my second Kenevo motor serviced there and have done 3500km trouble free since. You have the great advantage of having a motor which can be repaired at a fraction of the cost of replacing it. Have a look at their website, send your motor off to them and you may well have years of life out of your Levo. After all, it’s still a very highly rated bike.

 

[Slideways]

Specialized has a program in place to get the original owner a reduced price on out of warranty or crashed parts not covered under the warranty. In this case I think you should be able to get a motor for about $800 US. If the motor failed on the thrid time out after replacement a competent dealer who is on your side would file a claim and go to bat for you explaining the circumstances in the claim notes. If you’ve kept your bike updated regularly this indicates to Specialized that you are trying to maintain your bike and helps in gray area call like this one. Frankly I’d be surprised if Specialized didn’t cover this as a goodwill case. If your dealer is unwilling to help he is either incompetent or at some point you must have pissed them off, find another dealer.

 

[Stihldog]

Motor repair centres are starting to pop-up since our motors are starting to fail and run out of warranty. A $300 rebuild on a $900 motor seems like a good deal. In fact, the replacement parts are likely better than the original. The weakness’s of original bearings or other components have caught the attention of service centres.

I’ve had a defective Bosch CX gen4 motor sitting on my shelf for almost a year. (Not mine). It only needed the drive side casing. Replacement was within my skill level to bring this motor back to a functional state but the part(s) was not available to me. @Bearing Man and Cyclo Chrome helped me out. For $105 the casing, bearings and replacement bracket was shipped to my door.

I won’t hesitate to ship my defective motor off to Cyclo Chrome now. They can likely diagnose and repair my motor for a reasonable price that would be a fraction of what a new replacement motor would cost. (When that day comes).

It would be difficult for me to justify a new replacement eMTB when the components, that I’ve upgraded, cost almost as much as the original bike purchase. There’s no reasonably priced eMTB available that has the same upgrades and components that I currently have. And the geometry of my Rail is pretty darn good.

 

[GDAS]

If the replacement broke on the third ride, and the dealer is quoting $1300, I would take up the matter with Specialized Ridecare. The motors in the 2019-2020 model year Levos were warrantied for 4 years; for MY2021 they dropped back to 2 years, because they reckoned the problem was sorted. I have a 2020 Levo on it's third motor and still under (4 year) warranty. The guys I ride with all have 2020 Levos, have all had at least one replacement motor. My impression is that the most recent replacements seem to be lasting pretty well, so maybe they really have now sorted the problem.

 

[Rod B.]

I have a 2021 Levo... only 700 miles on it. Already had the motor replaced once, but the motor they replaced it with broke on the third ride. Now the Specialized dealer is trying to say that I'm out of warranty (it's been 2.5 years) and that I would have to pay $1300 for a motor. Seems a large price to pay for a motor that is so poorly designed.

I guess I could send my motor off to be serviced by a third party, but even then its several hundred dollars every several hundred miles...

So, wondering what people are doing with their Levos when the cost of maintaining them gets to be more than they are worth? What do you do with the frame when you have decided that it's simply not worth it, and you would rather have something reliable like bosch or yamaha or even bafang? I suppose I can sell the frame, battery and busted motor on ebay, but I will never recoup the cost of this thing.
Wondering if anyone has seen any other motors retrofitted onto the Levo? I suppose someone has to be doing it, considering the despicable track record of Brose.... someone has to be engineering a kit to retrofit a reliable motor into these obsolete frames, right? With the number of these unusable frames out there, you think someone would be making an overhaul kit...

Pabloaguas,

I would replace the motor with a new motor and continue riding the bike. It's the smart play and better choice economically. As Stihldog mentions, a replacement bike is going to cost you more than $1,300. Don't forget, you will get some your money back when you sell the bike. A running bike will sell for much more than a bike frame with no motor.

I would do one more thing you may not have considered. I would bypass the bike shop and write a nicely worded letter to Specialized. I would explain your situation and ask if Specialized would in "Good Faith" honor a warranty on a bike that's time out age wise, but has only 700 miles on the bike.

In the letter, explain to Specialized that your bike developed issues with the motor after only a few miles and that your bike's new motor was replaced under warranty with a "Used" re-built motor. Furthermore, you believe the "Used" motor provided under warranty was defective given the fact that your bike now has only 700 miles on it and the replacement more is dead. Lastly, I would explain that your Specialized dealer diagnosed the problem as a faulty motor and will not honor any "Good Faith" warranty and instead wants to charge you $1,300 for a new motor. Hopefully Specialized will offer a "Good Faith" warranty or, at the very least offer you a steeply discounted price for a new motor.

Here's the thing, a 2021 Levo with only 700 miles is still very much new. 700 miles on a drivetrain is nothing. Your bike should not be needing a new motor, much less a second motor in such a short span of miles. Personally, I think the warranty replacement motor your received had issues. Specialized needs to act in good faith on this.

If you do write a letter, I'd love to find out what Specializes response is.

Be safe,
Rod

 

[lumpy]

Contact Specialized rider care. Given the situation, I think they'll take care of you

 

[Stihldog]

Contact Specialized rider care. Given the situation, I think they'll take care of you

I agree. No reputable manufacturer wants that stigma on their product. News travels fast and the main components must stand up to the type of riding they were designed for. Frame, motor and battery designed properly are the main components. Everything else is just bling

 

[Mikerb]

So assuming the first motor replacement was done during warranty ( within 2 years) the replacement motor was only ridden 3 times in 6 months ( bike now apparently 2.5 years old)? The bike has done 700 miles in total...in 2.5 years!

Overall therefore it does not sound like you found much use for the bike averaging c 25 miles a month! So I am not surprised you do not appear to be prepared to make further investment in the bike.

The key issue here is that the replacement motor certainly should not fail after just 3 (short) rides so I wonder why your LBS is not prepared to deal with Specialized to get either a free or heavilly discounted replacement.
Personally I would request that Specialized examine the failed motor to determine why it failed.....and if that failure was clearly a manufacture fault expect them to replace it..........otherwise you will buy a replacement motor.

 

[randycpu]

Doesn't a replacement motor re-start the 2 year warranty for the motor?

 

[GDAS]

Generally not. If your bike is out of warranty and you pay for a replacement motor, then you will have a new two year warranty for that motor. But if the motor is being replaced under warranty then it gets the remainder of the 2 years. However, if you've got the funds, you could probably take legal action against the manufacturer for supplying something that isn't 'fit for purpose'.

 

[Pabloaguas]

Bike was out of warranty by 6 months. Specialized sometimes extends the warranties. So they sent a new motor, and had dealre install. 35 miles later, belt brakes on new motor. Sepcialize denies second claim.

Motor looks new- I'm going to open it up tomorrow to see if the belt was fibergalss or carbon. Would really like to find the aftermarket seals for this, and install with new belt.

 

[Repsol]

I totally agree with the original post, these motors are an utter pile of fkin shite and not fit for purpose .The amount of brose failed motors is a joke.
Im now on my 3rd and have definitely noticed a trend on these motors. Every specialized levo turbo I've had has had to have its motor replaced. Each bikes original motor lasted the longest, I've noticed that all the replacements don't last as long as the original and I suspect all your getting is a reconditioned one rather than an actual brand new one.

On my first bike it had 3 replacements within 1 month after the original failed, in total it had 4 motors. I demanded a refund and then chose to buy a levo pro from birkshire cycles, the original motor lasted a year but then it failed in June this year, since then its had a further 2 each lasting only 2 months, oh and not to mention all its cables replaced too due to poor design which allowed moisture to enter into the cables by capillary action. I won't be buying a specialized ever again costing 12 grand.

 

[Pabloaguas]

Why don’t you get your motor repaired by ebike repair centre (formally performance line bearings). I had my second Kenevo motor serviced there and have done 3500km trouble free since. You have the great advantage of having a motor which can be repaired at a fraction of the cost of replacing it. Have a look at their website, send your motor off to them and you may well have years of life out of your Levo. After all, it’s still a very highly rated bike.

Would love to, but they will only work with people in the UK. I have been in contact with them. They are strictly UK only...

 

[Burner]

Are the motors that the bearing man gets his hands on lasting any longer than the specialized, ones???

 

[Pabloaguas]

Specialized has a program in place to get the original owner a reduced price on out of warranty or crashed parts not covered under the warranty. In this case I think you should be able to get a motor for about $800 US. If the motor failed on the thrid time out after replacement a competent dealer who is on your side would file a claim and go to bat for you explaining the circumstances in the claim notes. If you’ve kept your bike updated regularly this indicates to Specialized that you are trying to maintain your bike and helps in gray area call like this one. Frankly I’d be surprised if Specialized didn’t cover this as a goodwill case. If your dealer is unwilling to help he is either incompetent or at some point you must have pissed them off, find another dealer.

Yes, they offered this to me. Not wanting to spend $800 every time I break a belt.

 

[cozzy]

Oh I dunno. My replacement has lasted 3+ years. It had just been swapped out at 6 months when I bought the bike secondhand back in sep 2020.
I do plan to take it to Berkshire bikes soon though before the 4 years is up as it's now a bit variable in power, torque sensor I recon. It's certainly not a deal breaker, but if they fit a new motor before the warranty is up, happy days.

 

[Jersey Skier]

I'm a dealer and Specialized wouldn't do anything for me when a customer needed a new motor for his 2.5 year old Levo SL with less than 200 miles on it. They were perpetually out of stock. Customer finally started calling Specialized every day for two weeks and trying to elevate the claim.

One day I woke up to an email from Specialized stating that they had shipped out a new Levo to the shop for the customer to make him happy. Not something I would have the patience to do, but my wife would do this in heartbeat.

 

[figment]

Sounds like you didnt like the bike all that much.

That is a nuts response. I wouldn't like anything that kept breaking either