Levo Gen 2 have brose fixed the motor issues yet ?
- Thread starter nobbyq
- Start date
To add to this thread, the info regarding motor changes after a certain date are not strictly accurate.
Brose have been making rolling changes all of the time, it’s natural in many product life cycles.
there is no ‘best after date’ as such so no need to worry.
My Source: 100% in the know.
Brose have been making rolling changes all of the time, it’s natural in many product life cycles.
there is no ‘best after date’ as such so no need to worry.
My Source: 100% in the know.
Good to know. Guess I will just have to see how it goes. The reason for purchasing the bike was the great warranty I'm hearing of.
Winger
Member
Rob i’ve No doubt your source was the same as mine(via a dealer) and yes I got the same reply,but it’s a simple question ‘Where is the cut off from alloy to magnesium’ the ‘Rolling changes’ may well be a great PR reply but when folks have just coughed up five and a half grand strikes me as being a touch vague,particularly if one reads the 2020 tests of the ‘New Bike’ or maybe not so or should that be sort of.
Roger20
Active member
Could you explain a bit more please - where did this come from? I assume your existing motors before replacement were the new Mag S 2.1 anyway?
What does stealth mode do? I have tweaked with the shuttle mode on our ‘19 and ‘20 but haven’t noticed stealth as an option.
Troutwrestler
Member
Stealth switches off the lights on the tcu for night biking.
No motor is failure-free. All I will say is Spesh is awesome on warranty. Sadly you hear about more motor failures on here and online than is probably proportionate due to the number of Turbo Levo's sold.
Grab your bike and enjoy it. If you bought a £5k MotoX bike you would be on your own after 3 months with the best warranty out there...You've got 2 years with Spesh..It's not perfect but not one bike is. My mate's Bosch threw a 504 today after 1 month of ownership..And his missus a week before...
Don't be too alarmed by what you read online..If it does have an issue check your dealer holds stock on Motor's, Power Leads and TCU's. That way you wont be off the trail for long..
Winger
Member
I get all of that but my question is a very simple one, did I have a 19 motor or the latest 2020,all I see is smoke and mirror answers,my back ground is a motorcycle one so yes I get the Motocrosser comparison,but at the same time you wouldn’t get anyone trying to sell a 19 model bike as a 20 and then getting fobbed off with ‘The warranty is good’.
Currently I see no line in the sand between a 19 or 20 model so when you see a test about a new model who knows what you are actually reading about,aside from it’s part of an ongoing development.
Currently I see no line in the sand between a 19 or 20 model so when you see a test about a new model who knows what you are actually reading about,aside from it’s part of an ongoing development.
Gav TLEC
New Member
Yes and I know what you’re thinking. I’m sure I was told the same changes were part of the 2.1 upgrade from the 18/19 model.
The trouble is where the information comes from and in my case it’s my dealer.
The 2.1 from what I understand was a significant change due to the magnesium body. I’m led to believe the bearing housing and the belt are further developments on this 2.1 motor.
First ride was wonderful but noisy! Simple electric motor whine noise. Not sure if I’m over sensitive due to my situation or not.
My better half’s new motor is not as noisy but it won’t work as hard as I’m 102kg to her 58kg.
Going for another ride shortly to test it again.
I appreciate any and all feedback as I think together as a group we can find the truth.
have I been bluffed? The build dates on the motors are feb 21 and feb 24, 2020.
Gav TLEC
New Member
Identifying year model should be done via colour and spec as each model year production run in every vehicle, car motorbike or ebike, commenced in the last quarter of the previous year.
My bikes were built October and November 2019 but are 2020 models. Hope that helps.
They are noisier the almost Silent previous Brose Motor. I thought mine was bust when I came off a 2017 1.2
They seem to be loudest at high cadence, high geared climbs under load, but no more than any other motor IMHO. As you say if your heavier it's gonna make more noise. With my increased lockdown weight mine is making quiet a squeal!!
@Winger As for whether you have a 'new' motor, the information I have been told is that they are always doing running upgrades. What has been changed and specifics are not really published so I'm not sure anyone will be able to answer that. They are sealed units that even the Bike Shop can't open as all failed motors go back to Brose to be inspected. Maybe your LBS or Specialized will be able to tell you which iteration of the motor you have but I don't believe there has been a step-change on a certain date making them bulletproof. However, there must be a turning point that may improve things. Who knows.
I guess I am not overly fussed as I know if mine pops I can get in done in a day or so thanks to Berkshire Cycles, but I realise that's not an option for everyone..Pop a Bosch Motor and you looking at 10-14 days without..Shimano are taking months in the UK at the moment. We are somewhat guinea pigs and they aren't perfect by their own admission, no company is, but heck Spesh stand by their warranty and are decent human beings to deal with, on every level. For a massive international corporation, I applaud that.
Last edited:
Viper9559
New Member
Yep, Feb 21,2020
mines july 19 lol
J200George
Member
It’s not really that surprising or shocking that a my2020 bike built with components has parts that were manufactured in 2019, wouldn’t surprise me if other parts were even older. Its just the way the supply chain works.
For me though the failing is that when faults in the Brose motor were identified that Specialized didn’t stop production and replace with the newer modified parts. Clearly this would have been too costly and disruptive.
By the looks of things I doubt I’ll get my hands on a bike until my21 comes out but even then I’ll be making the build date of the motor a gating factor on the purchase. I’ve yet to hear of any of the newer motors failing but I suppose it’s still early days.
For me though the failing is that when faults in the Brose motor were identified that Specialized didn’t stop production and replace with the newer modified parts. Clearly this would have been too costly and disruptive.
By the looks of things I doubt I’ll get my hands on a bike until my21 comes out but even then I’ll be making the build date of the motor a gating factor on the purchase. I’ve yet to hear of any of the newer motors failing but I suppose it’s still early days.
Im not too concerned really. Spesh seem to be honouring motors well in to the 3rd year. I cant seem me not upgrading by year 3.
What i will say though, my motor is not quiet and i can feel the resistance of this motor when it cuts out.
What i will say though, my motor is not quiet and i can feel the resistance of this motor when it cuts out.
Winger
Member
My situation is further complicated by the fact my wife bought a new Whyte E-150 the week before I bought my Levo Comp and now having the opportunity too ride them back to back on a regular basis I think it’s a better bike but hey ho
Gav TLEC
New Member
That resistance is the reason I complained, it had only just begun to happen. Specialized replaced both my motor and my partners which hadn’t yet shown any signs of an issue because I said It was a known issue and bound to fail proper in time. That resistance isn’t right, I’d pursue it straight away if I were you!
Does this make my manufacture date Jan 10, 2020? Replaced in May at 1100 miles.
I feel mine was heat related. Intense ride followed by creaking noise at end. Creak went away next day until it started to heat up again on a climb until it eventually failed. I don't get many pedal strikes and I don't use turbo often.
I feel mine was heat related. Intense ride followed by creaking noise at end. Creak went away next day until it started to heat up again on a climb until it eventually failed. I don't get many pedal strikes and I don't use turbo often.
Murch
Active member
Use of turbo or not doesn't really seem to be an issue from what everyone with knowledge has posted.
Mcharza
E*POWAH BOSS
I only hear creaking noise when in Trail or Turbo mode, never in Eco
Murch
Active member
It happens in all modes on for all three motors I have used
It is my belief that anything you do to make a motor work harder will reduce it's useful life. This includes using turbo. Doesn't excuse the limited life of these motors by any means, but it could be a contributing factor for some. I believe it could be heat related as someone else mentioned.
I neglected to mention when it was apparent my motor was not going to get me home, I threw it in turbo and it promptly imploaded within a few feet.
I neglected to mention when it was apparent my motor was not going to get me home, I threw it in turbo and it promptly imploaded within a few feet.
Murch
Active member
Correlation does not imply causation
RebornRider
Well-known member
My '19 Levo motor is now making quite the noise. Not a rubber belt shriek. Here is a link to a short YouTube video
How many of you are hearing a similar level of noise? This is a moderate climb in Tour mode and a cadence of about 80.
I just sent a link to this video to the LBS where I bought the Levo. I live within easy driving distance of the Spesh Morgan Hill (California) headquarters, so I'll pay them a visit if my LBS can't get this fixed.
How many of you are hearing a similar level of noise? This is a moderate climb in Tour mode and a cadence of about 80.
I just sent a link to this video to the LBS where I bought the Levo. I live within easy driving distance of the Spesh Morgan Hill (California) headquarters, so I'll pay them a visit if my LBS can't get this fixed.
Gav TLEC
New Member
Oh yeah that is really loud! I'd be getting that one changed.
If these were serviceable, this wouldn't be such a cloak and dagger issue.
Is that just a belt misaligned or is it a bearing that has dried up? At the end of the day these motors aren't especially technical. It's just an electric motor with a drive belt and a small circuit board to control power and torque.
RebornRider
Well-known member
I spoke with my LBS (Mike's Bikes in northern California) earlier today. The tech said they currently have 6 replacement motors on order at their location alone. This must be a nightmare for Spesh, and maybe suggests why they went to a different manufacturer (AFAIK) for the SL motor.
Gordonrides
New Member
Thanks, that was very useful.
Similar threads
EMTB Forums
Latest articles
-
Introducing the Forestal e-Cygnus - a downcountry and XC emtb
The new Forestal e-Cygnus is a slightly unusual emtb. It comes in two... -
2025 M1 Sporttechnik EN 8.0 review
The M1 EN is one of four M1 models built on the same frame. Well, it’s...