Levo Gen 2 Performance Line Bearings - What a service!

lloydbayliss · Mar 26, 2021

The motor in my 2018 Turbo Levo started making some noise a few months ago. As per SBB (Standard Bloke Behaviour) I ignored it and carried on riding until a few weeks ago when she decided to punish me by trying to kill me... Ok, bit over-dramatic, but stopped pedalling ready for a turn and the pedals decided to keep going, powering me ever forward! A quick stamp on the pedals managed to break the 'seizure' and I was able to bring things to a stop and check my pants (all was good in the pants department, thankfully).

Time to see about getting it looked at. Actually, as it turned out, it was waaay past the time to get it looked at.

I arranged with Peter @Bearing Man at Performance Line Bearings to take the whole bike down for him to weave his magic on. As it's a 100+ mile journey each way, he kindly offered to look it over while I waited. Drove it down on Wednesday, hoping the journey would qualify as critical enough if stopped, and the guys at PLB got to work removing the motor and stripping it down. It wasn't long before the verdict was in and this motor had given its all, with just about every bearing and shaft knackered, water in the casings etc. All could have been replaced apart from one particular set of bearings, so the only option was a new motor.

I agreed to the bearing and water seal upgrades and left them to it for a couple of hours. By the time I came back the bike was sitting pretty out front ready for me to try out. A quick spin around the estate only hinted at the improvements this work had made to the bike. After chatting to Peter about the upgrades, warranty and nuances of Welsh mud I set off home a happy chappie.

Last night I took her out for a baptism of fire in the Brecon Beacons. Wow, what a difference! It's like a new bike, all of my efforts are being used for going forward or up and I'm happy in the knowledge the ropey standard parts have been upgraded.

I can't thank Peter & Co. at Performance Line Bearings enough. To do all they did in literally less than three hours is ridiculous, and the difference it's made to the bike is incredible. I couldn't recommend them enough, they're really knowledgeable and incredibly diligent at what they do.

Thank you @Bearing Man

Zimmerframe · Mar 26, 2021

lloydbayliss said:
As per SBB (Standard Bloke Behaviour) I ignored it and carried on riding until a few weeks ago when she decided to punish me by trying to kill me... Ok, bit over-dramatic, but stopped pedalling ready for a turn and the pedals decided to keep going, powering me ever forward! A quick stamp on the pedals managed to break the 'seizure' and I was able to bring things to a stop and check my pants (all was good in the pants department, thankfully).

Great post, thanks for sharing and the humour !

What was the Coffee like ?

drm31078 · Mar 28, 2021

lloydbayliss said:
The motor in my 2018 Turbo Levo started making some noise a few months ago. As per SBB (Standard Bloke Behaviour) I ignored it and carried on riding until a few weeks ago when she decided to punish me by trying to kill me... Ok, bit over-dramatic, but stopped pedalling ready for a turn and the pedals decided to keep going, powering me ever forward! A quick stamp on the pedals managed to break the 'seizure' and I was able to bring things to a stop and check my pants (all was good in the pants department, thankfully).

Time to see about getting it looked at. Actually, as it turned out, it was waaay past the time to get it looked at.

I arranged with Peter @Bearing Man at Performance Line Bearings to take the whole bike down for him to weave his magic on. As it's a 100+ mile journey each way, he kindly offered to look it over while I waited. Drove it down on Wednesday, hoping the journey would qualify as critical enough if stopped, and the guys at PLB got to work removing the motor and stripping it down. It wasn't long before the verdict was in and this motor had given its all, with just about every bearing and shaft knackered, water in the casings etc. All could have been replaced apart from one particular set of bearings, so the only option was a new motor.

I agreed to the bearing and water seal upgrades and left them to it for a couple of hours. By the time I came back the bike was sitting pretty out front ready for me to try out. A quick spin around the estate only hinted at the improvements this work had made to the bike. After chatting to Peter about the upgrades, warranty and nuances of Welsh mud I set off home a happy chappie.

Last night I took her out for a baptism of fire in the Brecon Beacons. Wow, what a difference! It's like a new bike, all of my efforts are being used for going forward or up and I'm happy in the knowledge the ropey standard parts have been upgraded.

I can't thank Peter & Co. at Performance Line Bearings enough. To do all they did in literally less than three hours is ridiculous, and the difference it's made to the bike is incredible. I couldn't recommend them enough, they're really knowledgeable and incredibly diligent at what they do.

Thank you @Bearing Man

I am a little confused...you mentioned

"All could have been replaced apart from one particular set of bearings, so the only option was a new motor."

Base on the rest of the story, it doesn't sound like you got a new motor. So what did they do with for the bearings that could not be replaced?

kawamaha · Mar 28, 2021

lloydbayliss said:
I can't thank Peter & Co. at Performance Line Bearings enough...

You forgot to thank god (or your mom) you live in the UK.
I live in Germany and my motor is made in, um wait, ah Germany!
Do you get parts here from brose (better resist of shitty engines)?
No, I guess they think their motor is above rocket science and only a handfull of experts can repair this absolute highlight of engineering art.
(or maybe they're just a.....s)

So lets thank Peter for the past (before brexit) and maybe future effort. (Meanwhile I hope some italian companies keep helping me with spare parts...)

Jorel · Mar 28, 2021

kawamaha said:
I live in Germany and my motor is made in, um wait, ah Germany!

Try this: https://www.ebike-doktor.de

kawamaha · Mar 28, 2021

Jorel said:
Try this: https://www.ebike-doktor.de

thank you, but all they have is an expensive bearing kit.
In Italy I ordered a Motor Cable, a single sprag bearing, a torque sensor and a torque sensor coil.
but if you only need bearings, good source

Bearing Man · Mar 30, 2021

kawamaha said:
thank you, but all they have is an expensive bearing kit.
In Italy I ordered a Motor Cable, a single sprag bearing, a torque sensor and a torque sensor coil.
but if you only need bearings, good source

Just for info the ebike doktor is a colleague of ours and can supply all our parts, including individual bearings. He also fix's Brose motors and is fully Brose trained. He has our full support and back-up when required. Unfortunately his website does not quite keep up with his business.
Axevo in Italy is also one of our partners

Zimmerframe · Mar 30, 2021

Bearing Man said:
Just for info the ebike doktor is a colleague of ours and can supply all our parts, including individual bearings. He also fix's Brose motors and is fully Brose trained. He has our full support and back-up when required. Unfortunately his website does not quite keep up with his business.
Axevo in Italy is also one of our partners

Glad to see you're managing to get some things sorted despite Boris's best efforts.

Are there plans for a "Le Velo Doctor" in France for any Muppets here who brake things or do we just contact ebike doktor or Axevo depending who's nearest ?

Bearing Man · Mar 30, 2021

drm31078 said:
I am a little confused...you mentioned

"All could have been replaced apart from one particular set of bearings, so the only option was a new motor."

Base on the rest of the story, it doesn't sound like you got a new motor. So what did they do with for the bearings that could not be replaced?

Maybe I can clear this up for Lloyd. The photos below are from Lloyds actual motor and although this is all repairable with the replacement of some major components, we would also have had to change the bearings on the electric motor shaft. These are the bearings that sit just under the planetary gears and it then becomes beyond economical repair. In Lloyds case a new motor was the only option.
As the "new" motor was one of ours and carried our warranty, we were happy to upgrade it. This means fully stripping the new motor to fit the upgraded bearings and seals. Once this was done we re-fitted the new upgraded motor back into his carbon Levo.

Bearing Man · Mar 30, 2021

Zimmerframe said:
Glad to see you're managing to get some things sorted despite Boris's best efforts.

Are there plans for a "Le Velo Doctor" in France for any Muppets here who brake things or do we just contact ebike doktor or Axevo depending who's nearest ?

We have Henryk in France, he will be online soon and added to our suppliers page. In the meantime you can contact him here: [email protected]

drm31078 · Mar 30, 2021

Bearing Man said:
Maybe I can clear this up for Lloyd. The photos below are from Lloyds actual motor and although this is all repairable with the replacement of some major components, we would also have had to change the bearings on the electric motor shaft. These are the bearings that sit just under the planetary gears and it then becomes beyond economical repair. In Lloyds case a new motor was the only option.
As the "new" motor was one of ours and carried our warranty, we were happy to upgrade it. This means fully stripping the new motor to fit the upgraded bearings and seals. Once this was done we re-fitted the new upgraded motor back into his carbon Levo.

View attachment 57218

View attachment 57219

View attachment 57220

View attachment 57221

View attachment 57222

Wow. That looks bad.

So you sell refurbished “upgraded” motors which was used to replace lloyds motor that was not repairable?

Bearing Man · Mar 30, 2021

drm31078 said:
Wow. That looks bad.

So you sell refurbished “upgraded” motors which was used to replace lloyds motor that was not repairable?

No, this was a new upgraded motor, but we do refurbish some from time to time.

Zimmerframe · Mar 30, 2021

Bearing Man said:
No, this was a new upgraded motor, but we do refurbish some from time to time.

Some of this might be obvious so sorry if it sounds dorky.

So in this instance the motor was out of warranty, but as Lloyd has bought a new motor, he now has a 1? 2? year motor warranty through Performance line ?

Are there ever instances/is it possible when you're having a new motor installed in warranty, to pay extra and have the sprag/x-ring seals installed at extra cost - for future peace of mind/reliability ? Or does this fall too much into a grey zone regarding who then warranties the new motor - as Performance line haven't actually supplied the motor ?

In theory if your bike was near the end of it's warranty, then the new motor would only be warrantied until the main warranty expires anyway. Therefore I'd imagine owners would want to do as much as possible, even with having to pay more, to extend the life of their motors outside of the Specialized warranty (or whatever brose bike you had).

drm31078 · Mar 30, 2021

Bearing Man said:
No, this was a new upgraded motor, but we do refurbish some from time to time.

how do you get new motors to upgrade and sell? No I am not a specialized narc lol.

Bearing Man · Mar 30, 2021

Zimmerframe said:
Some of this might be obvious so sorry if it sounds dorky.

So in this instance the motor was out of warranty, but as Lloyd has bought a new motor, he now has a 1? 2? year motor warranty through Performance line ?

Are there ever instances/is it possible when you're having a new motor installed in warranty, to pay extra and have the sprag/x-ring seals installed at extra cost - for future peace of mind/reliability ? Or does this fall too much into a grey zone regarding who then warranties the new motor - as Performance line haven't actually supplied the motor ?

In theory if your bike was near the end of it's warranty, then the new motor would only be warrantied until the main warranty expires anyway. Therefore I'd imagine owners would want to do as much as possible, even with having to pay more, to extend the life of their motors outside of the Specialized warranty (or whatever brose bike you had).

You, sound dorky!! Never! ?

"So in this instance the motor was out of warranty, but as Lloyd has bought a new motor, he now has a 1? 2? year motor warranty through Performance line ?" Yes. Sort of ?

"Are there ever instances/is it possible when you're having a new motor installed in warranty, to pay extra and have the sprag/x-ring seals installed at extra cost - for future peace of mind/reliability ? Or does this fall too much into a grey zone regarding who then warranties the new motor - as Performance line haven't actually supplied the motor ?" No, currently, if we or anyone fits these parts to any motor with a Brose warranty, your warranty will be voided.

"In theory if your bike was near the end of it's warranty, then the new motor would only be warrantied until the main warranty expires anyway. Therefore I'd imagine owners would want to do as much as possible, even with having to pay more, to extend the life of their motors outside of the Specialized warranty (or whatever brose bike you had)." Or they could get their motor upgraded at the end of their warranty. This would extend the life of their motor and we would warranty it for a further 12 months*.
* NOTE: We do not warranty against water ingress.

Bearing Man · Mar 30, 2021

drm31078 said:
how do you get new motors to upgrade and sell? No I am not a specialized narc lol.

It is not easy or cheap, I assure you! It just seems sad that no one will currently officially support us.

lloydbayliss · Apr 3, 2021

Thanks for all the comments and replies, and apologies for this late response - bonkers couple of weeks at work

Coffee - I took my own, can't be too careful these days ya know!

Thanks @Bearing Man for clearing up the queries around the new, upgraded motor. Didn't realise you'd taken pics - my god, it looks even worse than it did in real life!!! I'd just like to say right here that I've always been really careful when washing my bikes (to the point of not washing a lot of the time!), so no pressure washers, no high pressure hose pipes etc. etc. The motor sounded and performed great for a long time after buying it 2nd hand back in June 2019, so I don't think it had been abused before it reached me. Since getting it though, it's been used all year round in some pretty awful conditions, so that's the only reason I can see for it getting into this state.

Managed to fit another ride in one night in the week and was again really impressed with how good this new motor feels. Makes me wonder if there's anything else different aside from the upgraded bearings and seals, as it absolutely powers up the hills now.

Thanks again Peter

Old Mike · Apr 17, 2021

I have to add to this thread.

I sent my bosch gen 2 motor off to Performance Line Bearings which had 9k on it.

I got it back on tuesday, after only 11 days. Fitted it yesterday myself. Obviously its early days, but it feels like new.

I got them to fit the extra seals they do, hopefully that will extend its life even longer!

It felt slighty stiffer than my other motors when twiddling it with my fingers - ooh err - (could be the new seals Peter?) But feels the same to ride.

Excellent friendly professional service. Highly recomended.

Bearing Man · Apr 17, 2021

Old Mike said:
I have to add to this thread.

I sent my bosch gen 2 motor off to Performance Line Bearings which had 9k on it.

I got it back on tuesday, after only 11 days. Fitted it yesterday myself. Obviously its early days, but it feels like new.

I got them to fit the extra seals they do, hopefully that will extend its life even longer!

It felt slighty stiffer when twiddling it with my fingers - ooh err - (could be the new seals Peter?) But feels the same to ride.

Excellent friendly professional service. Highly recomended.

Thank you Mike. Yes, the motors will feel a little stiffer at first. The new Bosch main motor bearings have better seals which add a little friction and our crank seal can add a little friction too. Couple that with new grease and parts etc. and the motors do feel quite a but tighter. This normally takes about 100 to 150 miles to bed in and free up. Not, as you say, noticeable when riding.
Glad your happy

chagolucho · May 16, 2022

Hi everyone, my 2018 kenevo's motor is busted, this time the culprit are the clutch bearings. I live in Chile, do you know the best place to purchase a kit and have it sent all way down here?
Thanks everyone!

Bearing Man · May 16, 2022

chagolucho said:
Hi everyone, my 2018 kenevo's motor is busted, this time the culprit are the clutch bearings. I live in Chile, do you know the best place to purchase a kit and have it sent all way down here?
Thanks everyone!

We can supply Chile but our partner in America can supply you faster and cheaper. You can find his details here: Where To Buy - eBike Motor Centre (Performance Line Bearings)

rodomotion · May 31, 2022

chagolucho said:
Hi everyone, my 2018 kenevo's motor is busted, this time the culprit are the clutch bearings. I live in Chile, do you know the best place to purchase a kit and have it sent all way down here?
Thanks everyone!

en facebook grupo Enduro Ebike Chile busca a Pepe Ramos , y creo que hay otro también. saludos!

Aussie78 · Jun 2, 2022

Lucas at Cafe Bikes in Brazil is very good with Brose motors and has parts.

His number is +55 33 98435 0508

chagolucho · Jun 2, 2022

Thanks, finally I bought them from aliexpress for around 15 bucks each. Can share links if anyone needs.

Aussie78 · Jun 2, 2022

chagolucho said:
Thanks, finally I bought them from aliexpress for around 15 bucks each. Can share links if anyone needs.

Please do, I’m curious and I’m sure others are too

chagolucho · Jun 2, 2022

Aussie78 said:
Please do, I’m curious and I’m sure others are too