Very Disappointed with my 2019 Specialized Levo

[Peter Hill]

I do agree with you about how the problems with the motor housing were not picked up during testing? Surely someone would have rode the bike in a variety of conditions and then inspected it? Maybe they did and decided it wasn't an issue who knows, but judging by what dealers are saying and by the pictures that are being posted, it certainly is an issue!
I suspect commercial pressure to get the bikes on sale comes into play at some point in the process.

 

[melmark]

Well that answers one question for me. No Levo. Meta Power it is then...

 

[Peter Hill]

There are many positive threads about Turbo Levos so don't discount them completely.
I hope my bike is now sorted so I get on and enjoy it.

 

[ccrdave]

I think maybe little perspective is worth it here. I have owned a 2017, a 2018, and now a 2019 I have had problems with the previous two and spesh always fixed them no questions asked, they even bought my wife's bike back after about 14 months and gave almost a full refund. My 2017 and my 2018 both had new motors within days of the problem ocuring.
So far no probs with the 2019 but I'm expecting some.
Now you may say after that track record why did we buy another two!!! An expert for my wife and an entry level for me, the answer is easy, they ride like no other bike I have ever ridden, e or non e the 2018 was a good bike but the 2019 is miles better from a riding perspective, it's fantastic!.
Now I know you will say that's all well and good but what about reliability? And Its a good point but I bought these bikes for a few very good reasons.
It rides fantastic
Our dealer is second to none for support
Spesh are near the top for customer support and warranty claims.
The BIG problem is they should sack their R & D engineers and educate all their dealers
Problem solved!!

 

[melmark]

I think maybe little perspective is worth it here. I have owned a 2017, a 2018, and now a 2019 I have had problems with the previous two and spesh always fixed them no questions asked, they even bought my wife's bike back after about 14 months and gave almost a full refund. My 2017 and my 2018 both had new motors within days of the problem ocuring.
So far no probs with the 2019 but I'm expecting some.
Now you may say after that track record why did we buy another two!!! An expert for my wife and an entry level for me, the answer is easy, they ride like no other bike I have ever ridden, e or non e the 2018 was a good bike but the 2019 is miles better from a riding perspective, it's fantastic!.
Now I know you will say that's all well and good but what about reliability? And Its a good point but I bought these bikes for a few very good reasons.
It rides fantastic
Our dealer is second to none for support
Spesh are near the top for customer support and warranty claims.
The BIG problem is they should sack their R & D engineers and educate all their dealers
Problem solved!!

I rode the 2018 Levo and would never buy that model. Not nearly enough "mountain bike" like for me, especially on the downs. Felt big and clunky. That said it was not the top component model. The 2019 looks like a totally different animal though.

 

[mark.ai]

Thanks for all of the helpful replies everyone! I checked the Specialized warranty and I'm unable to transfer the warranty to whoever purchases my Levo. I simply do not trust the bike and not comfortable selling it to someone else to deal with. My plan is to leave it at the bike shop until all issues are 100% resolved. The moment I run across any issue the bike will go back to the shop. I'm not confident the shop can solve all issues. At some point the lemon law will come into play.

Current Issues:
1. Bike will not turn on.
2. Bike has power surge issues.
3. Dropper Post will not drop.
4. Uphill Assist feature works only 10% of the time.
5. Dirt and mud will get into the motor cover causing moisture on the electrical connections.
6. Issues connecting to the Mission Control App. Only connects about 20% of the time.

I will keep everyone updated!

At least some of the warranty is transferable, check this post: Would you buy a 2018 used Levo? - EMTB Forums

 

[paquo]

I guess it’s just confirmation bias - it’s an awful lot of money to spend and then have to admit it’s a duff product. We’ve all done it at one time or another, though thankfully for me not on a 2019 Levo!

bike flys downhill, faster than my pivot 429 because it is wicked stable and rails turns. I suppose if my bike develops a problem i won't be as enamored of it. I have taken the necessary precautions to keep the motor compartment clean and i don't ride much in the wet. The only other bike i was interested in was the pivot shuttle but the drivetrain was much less smooth so i am loving my bike not because i feel like i better cuz it was so much money, but because i am riding a whole bunch of singletrack at ridiculous speeds

 

[Silato]

FOR SALE ! 2019 S-Works " Shit Lip " Picture of first motor cover removal after 250km through winter forests. Offers ? View attachment 9337 View attachment 9338

Is the foam insert the one provided by specialized as temp fix?

 

[Highflyer]

I just filled the entire casing with foam as the tiny factory piece just isn't sufficient. After all it breathes well and weighs nothing !

 

[Ak178]

This kinda think happens to mine brought it on the 7th of dec the battery had a melt on the 4th of jan I am gutted spent a lot of money on the bike and yeah fell let down when this happens, I used the bike on New Year’s Eve then come home charged overnight came to it the next morning took the charger out and the bike turned on by its self so I turned it off I turned on again did this about 3 times then stopped off so I left it came to use the bike and non of the controls would work so I call the dealer I got the bike fron and fair play to chestster store sorted me out with a Kenevo expert and credit me the difference I think the Kenevo will be better as its trued and test motor and battery I hope and there pick my Levo up so they have been mega Carl is a legend! I think this is the beauty of Specialized! I know some of you guys have had difficulty with dealers but at the end of the day the have to follow what Specialized tell them to do and from a owner of a Yamaha motorcycle company trust me the guys have your best wishes at heart hope you sort it!

 

[nickthebee]

transfer the warranty.

Not good but good news you are able transfer the warranty as of june 2018

 

[nickthebee]

I just filled the entire casing with foam as the tiny factory piece just isn't sufficient. After all it breathes well and weighs nothing !

does the motor need the air to cool

 

[Benson]

Not good but good news you are able transfer the warranty as of june 2018

Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t this only give the new owner a two year frame warranty from date of original purchase, not lifetime?

 

[nickthebee]

Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t this only give the new owner a two year frame warranty from date of original purchase, not lifetime?

send me your email i will send you a letter i have from Specialised direct to me clarifing the situation ... i challenged them in may, they were braking EU law , wonder what will happen to that after the mess we all call Brexit

 

[neils]

I just filled the entire casing with foam as the tiny factory piece just isn't sufficient. After all it breathes well and weighs nothing !

All that foam is also a very good insulator of heat. I'd like to do the same to my Levo but concerned about motor possibly over heating ? See what the motor temperature is reading after climbing a long hill, with and then without all that foam. It would be interesting to see..

 

[neils]

I now have the foam insert suppIied and fitted by Berkshire Cycles. What was concerning is how wet it still was inside the covers when I gave it a light rinse with the hose after the last ride. The bike really wasn't very dirty at all and all I really did was a quick rinse of mainly the tyres and under side of the downtube (battery area).
I'm now thinking of filling the honeycomb structure on the inside of the plastic cover with a liquid that will set solid so that it's level/flush, this will stop the water getting trapped so easily and then adding some more drain holes into the bottom of the cover.
If this isn't successful or doesn't work then I should be able to by another replacement plastic cover from Specialized. As these covers have no sealing gaskets we need to get the water out again quickly and effectively.

Anyone got any suggestions as to a suitable product to fill the honeycomb matrix in the plastic cover and battery handle? Not sure if that expanding foam would be right, it's made of tiny bubbles it may just trap the water still.

 

[lenny74]

I now have the foam insert suppIied and fitted by Berkshire Cycles. What was concerning is how wet it still was inside the covers when I gave it a light rinse with the hose after the last ride. The bike really wasn't very dirty at all and all I really did was a quick rinse of mainly the tyres and under side of the downtube (battery area).
I'm now thinking of filling the honeycomb structure on the inside of the plastic cover with a liquid that will set solid so that it's level/flush, this will stop the water getting trapped so easily and then adding some more drain holes into the bottom of the cover.
If this isn't successful or doesn't work then I should be able to by another replacement plastic cover from Specialized. As these covers have no sealing gaskets we need to get the water out again quickly and effectively.

Honestly, why would you bother. Ride the bike as it is, if anything fails because of this design fault it will be replaced under warranty and hopefully before long they will replace with parts that solve the problems.
You have a good dealer in Chris who I don't think will ever let us down, so get out, ride the bike and let Chris worry about any problems that arise. (These where his words by the way!!)

 

[R120]

Isn't part of the problem that whilst its all very well having a great dealer and support if available, all any of us want to do is ride our bikes and if your bike is in the shop you cant do that. Must be very frustrating

 

[lenny74]

Isn't part of the problem that whilst its all very well having a great dealer and support if available, all any of us want to do is ride our bikes and if your bike is in the shop you cant do that. Must be very frustrating

Fair point, but all these problems at the moment are easily solved by a quick change of failed parts. It's really not that complicated from what I've seen in the workshop.

Isn't part of the problem that whilst its all very well having a great dealer and support if available, all any of us want to do is ride our bikes and if your bike is in the shop you cant do that. Must be very frustrating

Fair point, although most problems at the moment can be solved quickly with a swap over of failed parts and you should be back on the road in no time. Inconvenient yes, major problem, not really.
Try taking a new car back to a dealer to get a problem sorted quickly.... Never going to happen despite paying 10 times as much!

I think the problem will be, as you say if the bike is left in the shop with nothing being done. That's a poor dealer though.

Don't get me wrong, I think Spec have dropped the ball here but a good dealer should inspire confidence that its not really a problem and get you back on the road straight away.

 

[R120]

What I don't get, is the need to hide the motor away - if you look at other Brose bikes they don't do this, appearing to use simple covers directly on the motor, and as a result seem to avoid a lot of these issues. The covers also IMO mean the bb area looks very bulky

I happen to think that in the flesh the Focus Jam looks the most non EMTB out there, despite having the motor on display.

 

[neils]

Honestly, why would you bother. Ride the bike as it is, if anything fails because of this design fault it will be replaced under warranty and hopefully before long they will replace with parts that solve the problems.
You have a good dealer in Chris who I don't think will ever let us down, so get out, ride the bike and let Chris worry about any problems that arise. (These where his words by the way!!)

Because of the inconvenience to myself and to Berkshire Cycles, as R120 says, when it's down I can't ride it. Poor Chris must be getting over run with these issues!
If I can help to solve or to certainly help this issue of it getting so wet inside and it not being able to dry out because the current design layout doesn't allow this easily, then this is a bonus to me and anyone I can share it with, many owners don't live so close to a Specialized dealer.

 

[ccrdave]

i think all of those bikes have motor covers at least they dont look like a bare mag s drive in the spesh

 

[neils]

Wouldn't think it would be that hard to build an engine cover with no holes
Think I will keep my 2018 a bit longer!

I'm told by Berkshire Cycles the 2018 is the same but the crap collects at the top side of the motor and so you just don't see it so easily unless you strip it down.

 

[Doomanic]

Good dealer support is all well and good, but what if you bought from Berkshire Cycles to ensure the best support and it’s a 2 hour drive away (or more)? You’ve either got to take take time off work or lose riding time to get issues rectified on the “most developed eBike ever”...

 

[ccrdave]

Good dealer support is all well and good, but what if you bought from Berkshire Cycles to ensure the best support and it’s a 2 hour drive away (or more)? You’ve either got to take take time off work or lose riding time to get issues rectified on the “most developed eBike ever”...

well its exactly what I do but Chris is flexible and if its just a part change sometimes he can just post it and I will fit it, and anyway if I have to drive there its still much less down time than taking the bike into a dealer who doesnt know what he doing

 

[R120]

i think all of those bikes have motor covers at least they dont look like a bare mag s drive in the spesh

Yes that my point, they have simple motor covers direct on the motor, as per Shimano and Bosch etc, which seem to do a better job of keeping the crap out.

 

[Peter Hill]

Can Specialise tell us when they will be able to present a final answer and solution how to get the early 2019 Levo's to the current factory specification?

 

[ccrdave]

most of the 2019 levo problems are small and have been blown up a bit by understandably unhappy owners
problem, shit gets in the motor covers cause of bad design, solution block up the hole or take the non drive side cover off and clean it out as routine maintenance. What damage does it actually do? not much as all the plugs are sealed anyway
biggest cause of problems is the power lead, its stupidly long and its got a really nasty bend in it but it takes 10mins to replace. hopefully spesh will offer a redesigned one
i have heard of a couple of TCU's failing 5mins to replace
i am not making excuses for Spesh here and the design of these small parts is piss poor to say the least but when you have a dealer who knows what hes doing and fixes your bike while you drink a coffee, that is worth choosing your dealer carefully for sure

 

[MattyB]

Fair point, but all these problems at the moment are easily solved by a quick change of failed parts. It's really not that complicated from what I've seen in the workshop.

I’m not sure the OP in this thread would agree all these problems are “easily solved”...

 

[ccrdave]

i bet he doesnt but better service from his dealer and he wouldnt have had that grief
it amazes me that spesh dont provide proper training for their dealers and just excommunicate those that dont play nice, after all its the reputation of Specialized thats at stake