Levo Gen 2 Turbo Levo Comp - Motor Failure

[Grannyjones]

After 2800 miles the first motor has failed on my Turbo Levo Comp.

It just makes the usual noise but doesn't provide any power to the back wheel. Another symptom of this problem is that the bike can't be rolled backwards.

Is this the Belt problems I've heard mentioned earlier or is it something else ?

 

[kombos]

After 2800 miles the first motor has failed on my Turbo Levo Comp.

It just makes the usual noise but doesn't provide any power to the back wheel. Another symptom of this problem is that the bike can't be rolled backwards.

Is this the Belt problems I've heard mentioned earlier or is it something else ?

My second motor failure had the exact same symptoms, but the LBS could offer no info on the nature of the failure....

 

[James_C]

sounds the same as mine, I was told it was the clutch

 

[Grannyjones]

Sounds like it could be the clutch, it made a griding noise with resistance at the moment it failed

 

[kombos]

Sounds like it could be the clutch, it made a griding noise with resistance at the moment it failed

Mine made a screeching noise at the moment of failure....

 

[Gordon]

Bought my 2020 Levo Comp in Oct 2019. Motor worked flawlessly for 5000kms then the sprag clutch wouldn't release immediately. Specialized replaced it in a week. My LBS tells me that Specialized Iberia will now send a replacement when asked, before recieving the old motor. Had the charger harness break. Other than that no problems. Still have 100% battery health after 90 charges. DebonAir 2.0 air spring upgrade was a good improvement.

 

[crazyethnic]

Yes mine did the same its the belt can't roll back no power to wheel and screech noise that was at 3000km.

 

[Grannyjones]

Mine was coming up with a load of Error codes in the days leading up to the total failure, did anyone else get this or is this yet another problem that I will still face when I get it back with the new motor ?

 

[kombos]

I had no error codes, mine just failed. Except....I did have a few scattered days when the bike didn't want to turn on. Turns out there was also a failing wire between the battery & motor.

 

[Grannyjones]

There was a failing wire between the motor and speed sensor on mine, causing the error codes. It turns out the motor failure was probably unrelated. The new motor is noticably quieter. I'm not sure if it's because the 2021 motors are just quieter, or the previous one (2019-built) got louder so gradually that I couldn't notice ?

 

[kombos]

There was a failing wire between the motor and speed sensor on mine, causing the error codes. It turns out the motor failure was probably unrelated. The new motor is noticably quieter. I'm not sure if it's because the 2021 motors are just quieter, or the previous one (2019-built) got louder so gradually that I couldn't notice ?

I feel the same with mine. It SEEMS a tad quieter (though I think my previous motor got a bit louder over time). The new motor also SEEMS a bit smoother. The walk mode used to be very helpful when walking steep climbs. Now it hardly helps at all.

 

[Grannyjones]

The walk mode has never been brilliant on mine

 

[Gordon]

My new motor belt most is noticeably louder, hoping it will go away after a few hundred Kms. Walk assist was never the same after a firmware upgrade last year.

 

[Grannyjones]

I'd be suprised if the old motor got louder with age, 3000 miles and less than a year of use is not a lot by any motor standards

 

[stevo66]

guys, i had my motor fail too , belt was totally worn, had it repaired and upgraded, i replaced the sensor , still got red and blue light, so today i fitted a new power cable harness,, took her out,, got excited for about 4 metres then the blue and red light came back on.. any advice/help would be appreciated

 

[Grannyjones]

With all these faults and failures, I'm wondering how long does everyone think these E Bikes actually last after the warranty runs out ?
Or until they are so out of date compared to the newest releases that it doesn't make sense to keep them running ?

I paid 1/7th of my salary (after tax/national insurance/etc) just to purchase one, never mind the maintenance, the thought that it might only last a few years is not great.

 

[stevo66]

With all these faults and failures, I'm wondering how long does everyone think these E Bikes actually last after the warranty runs out ?
Or until they are so out of date compared to the newest releases that it doesn't make sense to keep them running ?

I paid 1/7th of my annual salary (after tax/national insurance/etc) just to purchase one, never mind the maintenance, the thought that it might only last a few years is not great.

any ideas on my next move , or just take it my lbs ?

 

[Grannyjones]

Well, if anything electrical fails on mine, then I always take it to the bike shop and it is replaced under warranty.

 

[GL1]

See my other post. 2020 Levo Comp, 2200 miles and 270,000' of climbing and motor went today.

Being a regular on the forums I figured it would at some point before the warranty went out and I'm REALLY happy about the 4 year warranty because ya...I love this thing and use it but it was a sizable purchase and I bought Spec for this kind of support (which it sounds like I'll be getting according the LBS today.)

It started slipping a few rides ago but I wasn't entirely sure as it was still grabbing. I heard the whine and then the power band seemed different and it seemed I was losing low end power. Today it was unmistakably and I'm going with belt rather than clutch as it would roll backward and had the whine sound. The clutch is more clunking and happens more from the little teeth being broken off from slamming the cranks into things hard as I understand it (and I've really tried not to do that too much although it has happened a few times.)

It DID throw the red and blue flashing error code twice and after that I just walked it to the top of the climb then coasted back to the parking lot. I think this code may be from it not having any or enough resistance with the belt slipping or maybe it was getting hot? Hopefully after warranty this won't continue to be an issue. It did this twice before too maybe once around 800 miles and once around 1500 and it was related to the battery connection I think because unplugging that and then plugging it back in solved it for months afterward each time before.

LBS was able to replicate it and are working on it. I will say, from when I started really noticing it to full belt slippage, whine, and zero assistance was maybe 50-75 miles although it SEEMS it's been losing some power for awhile.

I'll update after I get it back. LOVE the bike. IDK, maybe my kind of mileage and elevation is all these are engineered for? Maybe the engineers are just learning as we are what the benchmark / expectations for this motor are?

 

[KennyB]

9000 km and just under 2 years when I detected a "whirring noise". LBS got a new motor unit within a week and squeezed me in to the workshop schedule a week later. Apparently they have to register the motor to the bike and the firmware is updated at the same time.

 

[Pete M]

Had my motor fail today, luckily only a mile from home, loud screeching noise so turned the battery and rode home. It has taken just 16 months for the motor to fail, I only ride fire roads so hasn't been abused, a very poor lifespan IMHO. I'll be contacting Don Skene in the morning to what hopefully will be a painless warranty claim.

 

[GL1]

So after reading through this and many other posts here's my summary for those following along:

First, there are two main issues. 1) Sprag clutch failure and 2) belt slippage. (And a third would be rough noises and such from bearing / water damage, typically over time.)

The clutch failure is more common if you have had a lot of hard pedal strikes. This is also easily diagnosed by grinding / clunking noises and the inability for the bike to move backward at all.

The belt slippage seems to be hit and miss as far as when it goes and it's complicated by the fact that we are all talking about different years. It seems that the 2018 and 2019's had a design where this was more common early in their lifespan. Sometime in 2020 Spec / Brose began a newer design that is supposed to be better. There are threads where you can try and identify if you have one of the "good" or "bad" motors based on the serial # of your bike, motor, and ship date. Mine would have been the "good" motor. Regardless, it does seem that even the 2020's have a decent failure rate somewhere north of 2,000 miles.

Because of all of these failures, Spec offered the 4 year transferable warranty in 2020 which goes back to 2018's (maybe earlier?) As such, even non-original owners can get a motor replacement.

This was a great move because Spec wants major market share in the eBike segment and a strong rep and IMHO they are probably putting these things out and letting us do a lot of the testing on them since it's a new and evolving segment. That's how a lot of R&D is done and you just build failure expectancy and support into the warranty and price. It makes me feel good having that 4 year warranty for the cost of these things. I figure it this way; for my money I'm getting a guaranteed 4 year eBike. After that? IDK. It could get expensive or I'll have a really heavy dead DH bike. I guess my point is that at some point these things will be outdated and beyond repair as technology moves forward. The same as any bike but a bit worse since they have the "e" component and overall we are all fairly early on the adoption curve. But for now and while we're within that 4 year window, I already had a battery issue and it was replaced no questions asked. It seems the motor is going to be a similar situation (although there was some talk about a $150 sourcing fee for the replacement motor...we will see.)

Up to this point I've just been smitten with the bike and logging miles and epic rides. I sort of knew the motor would likely go but I also knew I was well covered under warranty so I haven't been giving it much thought. So now that I'll have a new motor the questions on my mind are;

"Do I ride it as much and as hard as I was before and see if I can burn another motor out by Jan of 2024 or do I slow down a bit and try and make it last?"

"Do I start saving for my next one and try and sell this one off for at least something while it's still under warranty in 2022 or 2023?"

"Do I just ride it until it dies and then just try my best to keep it going or scavenge whatever parts from it I can for another / new eBike build?

Anyone else asking themselves these questions?

As for keeping them going after warranty...I have never seen a place to buy a new Brose motor outright but there are places for parts and rebuilds (see below; I even see belt kits etc.!) Batteries are out there for the usual $900-$1000. I used to be a bike mech and I enjoy working on this stuff so maybe I'll just have to get more familiar with them and learn to keep them going. I do think it's the motors and batteries that will be the biggest fail points; consumables really. The rest of the eComponents like ECU's are rarer to fail I think but could be really tough to diagnose in my garage.

Some resources:

Home | eBike Motor Repair

Is your motor out of warranty? Are you facing a voided or expired factory warranty and hesitant to invest in a costly replacement? Tired of your eBike motor ...

ebikemotorrepair.com

Homepage - eBike Motor Centre (Performance Line Bearings)

www.performancelinebearings.com

Services – E-Motor Repairs

From noisy motors to diagnosing error codes, we’ve got you covered! Take a look through our services below to find the right option for servicing or repairing your E-Bike Motor.

www.e-motorrepairs.co.uk

And this is THE best video to see the guts of our motors. You can see how direct / hard crank hits and water over time can cause the biggest issues. I wish I could see my belt from my current motor. I wonder if the belt "teeth" are visibly worn on one like mine with the belt slippage issue. I also wonder if we or the shops could be using the belt tension screw adjustment over time as the belt stretches to keep full belt slippage / failure from occurring? There is no easy way to get to that screw with the motor installed and we as owners are not supposed to mess with it but it does make me wonder if this was regularly adjusted if it could help. For those with the sprag clutch issue, that is really easy to see in this video as well:

 

[Grannyjones]

Is the 4 warranty on these bikes just the motor or will this cover the battery as well ?

I'd hate to have to spend £1100 on a new 700 wH battery if it fails just after 2 years!

 

[GL1]

Is the 4 warranty on these bikes just the motor or will this cover the battery as well ?

I'd hate to have to spend £1100 on a new 700 wH battery if it fails just after 2 years!

The big “4 Year transferable” announcement was only for the motor officially BUT I had my battery die right over 1000 miles; it would not turn on and had blinking lights but would not charge. They warrantied it no problem in a week and the new battery even came with a new battery guard which was great as I had cracked my original. So, while not official, I feel and am proof Spec is backing these heavily on motor and battery for the full four years although I’m not sure if that’s from Jan 1 of the model year or purchase date. I have also heard that some may get a “cost” or discount price on some things direct from Spec even if it’s out of warranty so it’s always worth taking it to the LBS and talking through it with them I feel. If it were a second, extra battery you bought elsewhere I'm not sure how that could or would play out and especially if the bike itself was out of warranty (meaning I don't know if a stand alone battery purchase carries a warranty or not from Spec...good question.) I'd still put it in the bike and take it to the LBS and see what could be done if the bike was under warranty. It's still a Spec specific part. Maybe you'd get a cost replacement?

Let’s face it, these things are pricey. There are cheaper ones out there. Spec is big and can offer this kind of warranty and should if they want to protect their rep and market share. I’ll pay the extra if I get the service and so far I have, and here we all are splashing it all over the forums. So, good for them for backing their products or charging what they feel they need to in order to fully support these for 4 years. That does set them apart from much of the eBike competition.And here I am happy to praise them for it. Let’s hope they keep it up and admittedly, I do hope prices level out or come down a bit too. The $1k-$1500k hike for 2021 Levo Comp was a bit crazy and I hope only reflects a COVID year, unbalanced supply and demand situation. The changes and tech alone from 2020 to 2021 didn’t justify that hike IMHO. the 2022 has some new stuff so maybe and the only way to get a bit cheaper one is to get the 500w which around here no one wants and I get it. My Kenevo is 500w and there is a difference with the 700w for sure. We'll see, the competition is hungry and it's a huge new and growing segment so that should help.

 

[GL1]

Just an update. Got the new motor! Reads 0.95mi! $25 warranty processing fee by LBS. Specialized stands behind these again! Very impressed. Very happy.

I have the latest motor firmware 7.4.2 which is supposed to help with belt life by eliminating torque spikes and smoothing power.

I also wonder if this new warranty motor is updated somehow? I don't know if anyone has been able to validate whether they are giving us warranty motors that have been redesigned to go longer? I'd be curious if anyone knows.

I also dialed mine back on response and a max power of 95% to maybe help as well. We'll see if I get more miles out of this one and by then I'll be close to the end or out of warranty. If it goes after that I'll have to see if Spec will cut me a deal on one, or send it in for a reman to Precision in the UK or crack it open myself and try to replace the belt maybe. IDK, I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Or, I'll sell this one and buy a new one before that time comes.

 

[Mikerb]

Enjoy your new motor!! Just to correct what I think may have been some incorrect statements above, the 4 year warranty applied to the motor only and only to motors supplied with 2019 and 2020 bikes. If you get a new motor it has 2 years warranty.
In terms of futures it appears Spesh are always prepared to cut a deal if your warranty has expired ( e.g discount), or there are companies like @Bearing Man that can repair out of warranty motors. Even the cost of a brand new motor without discount is not prohibitive when you consider how many folk happily pay out over £1000 to get a shiny new set of forks.....£600 to go electric shifting........etc.

 

[GL1]

Enjoy your new motor!! Just to correct what I think may have been some incorrect statements above, the 4 year warranty applied to the motor only and only to motors supplied with 2019 and 2020 bikes. If you get a new motor it has 2 years warranty.
In terms of futures it appears Spesh are always prepared to cut a deal if your warranty has expired ( e.g discount), or there are companies like @Bearing Man that can repair out of warranty motors. Even the cost of a brand new motor without discount is not prohibitive when you consider how many folk happily pay out over £1000 to get a shiny new set of forks.....£600 to go electric shifting........etc.

Thank you! I actually did not know it didn't apply to 2021's. And yes just the motor for the 4 years.

Great to hear Spec will cut a deal on parts if it's out of warranty and I have heard that.

Some other things I don't know:

Someone asked me is if this new motor also has 4 years on it. I said I don't think so. I think it's 4 years on the BIKE, not the motor or replacement motor itself right? Also, is the 4 year warranty on these from the date of purchase or from Jan 1 of the model year? I'm not sure. I need to research that.

 

[Mikerb]

The original motor fitted to 2019 and 2020 Levos and Kenevos had their 2 year warranty extended to 4 years. Any replacement motor in those bikes get a 2 year warranty from its installation.

 

[salko]

Also, is the 4 year warranty on these from the date of purchase or from Jan 1 of the model year? I'm not sure. I need to research that.

It's from the date of purchase.

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Just bear in mind that the 2019 model year bikes were released in September 2018 so these are covered as well.
Also, don’t forget the extended warranty only covers the Levo full suspension bikes with the 2.1 engine and NOT the model year 2018, 2019 or 2020 Levo hardtails with the 1.2 engine or any Spesh bike with a 1.3 engine.