Levo SL Gen 1 Individual Motor Power Differences: SL vs. SL

[rpr]

Lots of great info in this board, learning a lot. I just demo’d two 2022 Levo SL’s. One was a Medium frame Expert, the other was a Large frame Comp. You would think the medium frame Expert would feel at least as powerful on inclines as the Large frame Comp, but the opposite was true. The smaller Medium frame SL with the better and lighter componentry felt like it had significantly less assist on uphills in Turbo mode.

I purchased the Medium frame SL Expert as that fit me better and I wanted the better componentry, plus I got a great deal on it, but I have to wonder why the assist on inclines was/is lacking in comparison to the other bike with the same motor which was heavier and had lower end components.

I have the Turbo mode settings maxed out at 100%. I saw another post from someone that had a similar issue and after multiple emails and complaints and shop time he said the issue was finally fixed and his SL ultimately performed like his wife’s but he said Specialized refused to acknowledge there was an issue with the bike and wouldn’t tell him what they did to increase the motor’s output.

Some minor variability from motor to motor might be expected but the difference was very noticeable. Eco mode and trail mode felt comparable. Turbo mode on uphills not so much.

Any ideas as to whether there are any end user solutions? The bike has the latest software.

P.S.: Would the dealer entered tire circumference during the initial setup cause this? Not sure if that’s something the end user can change in the Mission Control app?

 

[boBE]

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Any ideas as to whether there are any end user solutions? The bike has the latest software.

P.S.: Would the dealer entered tire circumference during the initial setup cause this? Not sure if that’s something the end user can change in the Mission Control app?

Tire circumference has to be set by the dealer. From my experience with this ( I changed wheel size) it affects the assist speed limit but not the level of assist. I do not have another SL to compare mine with but I can confirm it does not have the punch of a Vado/Class 3.

 

[Pdoz]

I've had 3 motors in my lsl and the second felt significantly more punchy AND was quiet. All settings in mission control were identical. I have a suspicion the second motor may have been one of the next generation units that we keep hearing rumours about , but there is no way to confirm this because unfortunately the spline got damaged by the original cranks being worn . Going back to a noisy limp mehle has left me checking this site daily for news of the new motor.

 

[rpr]

Interesting, but discouraging. If it’s a different Gen motor that was the cause of the uphill power difference then there’s no fix for that.

If it matters, the motor on both of the SL’s I demo’d were pretty quiet. The build date on the one I purchased (the medium SL Expert that felt less powerful) was 12/30/21. I believe with that build date it would be considered a current 2022 model? I don’t think they’ve changed anything on the SL Experts since then.

The current 2022 SL Experts are still not mullet, at least not according to the specs on Spesh’s website.

 

[rpr]

Thought I would provide an update. I brought the SL back to the dealer to reset the wheel circumference to actual size. He did that and said he took it for a trial run up the street and to him, the bike still did not feel right. He said the assist was like “nothing”. He confirmed the motor had the latest software so he could not update anything, but he decided to do a full download. That’s not an option in MC as far as I can tell. He said that process includes a recalibration of the cadence sensor.

He said after the complete new download the bike felt right to him, “punchy” was the term he used. I took it on an uphill area near his shop and confirmed it’s like a new bike. Responds quicker to rider input and with more torque/assist.

I’m new to the forums but I haven’t seen anyone else mention doing a complete download of the software to an otherwise up to date motor if things seem amiss and it’s more anemic than it should be. Can’t really explain it other than the original download(s) may have been slightly corrupted or the factory calibration of the cadence sensor was off.

I’m relatively shocked it worked, but I’m thrilled.