2019 Levo turns battery on unexpectedly

[Oldnomad52]

Hi all
I've got a 2019 levo and have found that if you give the back wheel a quick spin backwards it turns on the battery. You need to be in a lower gear to get the motor spinning but mine works every time.
Anyone else find this ? Dangerous or useful?

 

[McInner1]

Just did a check turning the wheel backwards - yes, battery turns on (Levo 2019 S-Works).
Only God knows why - or do Specialized engeneers know too?

 

[118]

Does it then show, a speed sensor error?

 

[McInner1]

No. Turns on normally. Same as if you‘d turned on on TCU.

 

[118]

When I run my chain through a cleaner, with the bike up on a stand, and the chainring and crank 'locked', my battery turns on to show a speed sensor error. I guess that it would, as the sensor is being rotated in the wrong direction. It's done it on every clean, so I figured it was the electronics within, doing their job..

 

[pietro]

It happen to me too while taking the wheel of on the trail. It can be dangerous...

 

[Oldnomad52]

Well I'm glad to see it's not just my bike that does it. I guess that if your working on your bike you need to disconnect the battery to make it totally safe.

 

[TMS]

Actually you don't need to spin the wheel backwards. Only chainring and motor. Bike don't understand direction from speed sensor. I think the motor is generating some voltage when rotating backwards. And that's the reason bike wakes up.

 

[Mikerb]

It is standard practise to disconnect any power source to an electric motor before doing any work on it because the motor can generate current when rotated or an electrical short or shock is created. Standard practise on a car or home appliance. With an e bike any work on the motor or any part of the drivetrain attached to it should be done with the battery disconnected. The battery is always "on" provided it is charged.
Page 12 of the manual "......remove battery before performing work of any kind such as installation maintenance cleaning or repair."
That said unplugging the wiring harness is sufficient for most jobs.

 

[Oldnomad52]

My question was more around does this happen to all Levos or just mine and what would be the reason for this feature be.

 

[TMS]

Mine does. I have heard that you can even start the bike when taking the bike from van and rolling backwards in lowest gear. But I assume manual says also that always remove the battery when transporting the bike in a car or van.

 

[Oldnomad52]

Mine does. I have heard that you can even start the bike when taking the bike from van and rolling backwards in lowest gear. But I assume manual says also that always remove the battery when transporting the bike in a car or van.

That's exactly how I first discovered it turning on was taking it out of my truck and rolling it backwards. Maybe spinning up the motor generates some current ?? The same as pushing the power button.

 

[TMS]

That's exactly how I first discovered it turning on was taking it out of my truck and rolling it backwards. Maybe spinning up the motor generates some current ?? The same as pushing the power button.

Yes, when you spin the motor it acts like generator just like I wrote earlyer.