Levo Gen 3 My Levo is constantly breaking down is this normal ?

[Deleted member 3086]

I have two Levos...2019 Sport and 2023 Expert. Other than breaking a rear spoke each season on the Sport, I have no issues, breakdowns, or complaints. The Sport is all original equipment except for the brake pads and tires. I'm heading into 2nd season with the Expert spinning all original parts. The only anticipated service on the Expert is new tires.

Cheers to all,
tmcd

 

[Tetley]

I've a 2020 Levo Turbo, it's now on 4,500 miles and nearly out of motor warranty. The original battery cable was replaced as it failed just after I washed it for the second time, but the new design is still fine. Occasionally the bike has cut out after long descents due to brake pad filings stuck to the magnet, but now I know, I can keep an eye out for filings build up.
Maintenance wise, I've replaced the transmission, and all the bearings once, and a very good reason it's lasted so long, is I rarely wash it. It goes in the workshop plastered in shit, and just before the next ride I poke the loose mud off with a screwdriver, and maybe brush some off, GT85 all over the transmission, wipe the forks and shock and ride it.
The way these bikes are designed, even gentle washing pours water inside the frame and all over the motor, and any water anywhere near the crank, goes straight in sits there and rusts = new motor.

 

[Mikerb]

I've a 2020 Levo Turbo, it's now on 4,500 miles and nearly out of motor warranty. The original battery cable was replaced as it failed just after I washed it for the second time, but the new design is still fine. Occasionally the bike has cut out after long descents due to brake pad filings stuck to the magnet, but now I know, I can keep an eye out for filings build up.
Maintenance wise, I've replaced the transmission, and all the bearings once, and a very good reason it's lasted so long, is I rarely wash it. It goes in the workshop plastered in shit, and just before the next ride I poke the loose mud off with a screwdriver, and maybe brush some off, GT85 all over the transmission, wipe the forks and shock and ride it.
The way these bikes are designed, even gentle washing pours water inside the frame and all over the motor, and any water anywhere near the crank, goes straight in sits there and rusts = new motor.

...agree.....the only water my bike gets is a damp cloth....except for the wheels which I clean separate from the bike and use a bike cleaner plus a hose ( my bike is kept in the house so tyres need to be clean!)

 

[Deleted member 3086]

...agree.....the only water my bike gets is a damp cloth....except for the wheels which I clean separate from the bike and use a bike cleaner plus a hose ( my bike is kept in the house so tyres need to be clean!)

I gotta say I regularly hose my bike down in a self-serve car wash on my way home off the trails. I use low pressure on the delicate parts and full blast on everything else. I’m heading into my 5th season with all OEM equipment — brake pads and tires aside. These machines are like cars. Baby them and they break. Work them and they perform reliably. This is, of course, one man’s experience.

Cheers to all,
Tom

 

[cimi74]

At the risk of being that "smart arsed contributor"... Hear me out first. After your chain and TCU battery going flat, the failures you mention are all classic signs of water ingress. When we talk to people who have suffered a catalogue of failures like yours, we are nearly always told by the owner, that they have not been through deep water or pressure washed their bike, never even got the hose near it etc.!
But then as we go down the list of possible things that can lead to these sorts of issues, there is nearly always one that causes the owner to go.. Ah, yes I did do that! But that wouldn't hurt would it?

Let me take a look at what issues you've experienced. The power loom issues were always caused by water shorting two cut off CAN Bus wires, causing the bike to do all sorts of different things, but one common one was switching on and off. The power looms have been modified now to help stop this. This can be the same for the Rosenburg plug in a few cases. More common to the earlier motors though.
A noisy motor is 9.5 times out of 10 caused by bearing failure. And bearing failure in a relatively new motor is always due to water ingress. TCU failure... As Paulk says in the post above... Water ingress.
Battery failure, water ingress is less common unless submerged.

You said you don't wash the motor, but have a read through the following list and see if any of these ring a bell?
Fording water deeper than the crank (for those with older motors, this can be anytime in the last 6 months).
Washing the bike on it's side.
Using a car rack for your bike on wet roads without a cover on the motor.
Riding long flooded ruts
Riding extremely wet rides i.e. large puddles and many of them.
Lending your bike to another friend or family member.
Living in Wales, or anywhere in the central/northern English rain belt!

The only reason I have gone to such lengths with this response is because, if any of what I have said above rings true, the next ebike you get will do exactly the same.

Hi,
I ride in a group with 4 other ebikes. One of them is a turbo levo gen 3 like mine. We ride in the same conditions. Dry, wet, snow, rain... I'm the only one who has problems with the engine turning off, the battery charging that shows errors, etc. We all wash our bikes carefully after riding. Specialized ignores my emails. There is no authorized dealer for Specialized in my country. There is one store that sells them... but they don't accept warranties unless the bike was purchased from them and Spec approves them. This is my fifth Spec, but this time it will be the last.

 

[Purple parznip]

Hello , after 3 1/2 years of great service from my Kenevo I bought a new Levo last January But the bloody thing has had many faults . First off 7 rides in (a ride is about 2-3 hrs max ) the chain snapped and closer inspection 2 other links were cracked . New KMC Ebike chain purchased top job next the TCU battery ok and fair play the shop renewed it same day and delivered it to me so I could make a ride with my mates . Now the big problems constant cutting out so off to LBS a few days later new loom fitted a few weeks later motor very noisy and keeps cutting out again , after 2 weeks new motor fitted a few rides later bike keeps cutting again . Then after a few days bike returned with another new loom fitted , got bike home red and blue lights on TCU back to shop . At shop a new battery was fitted this time all ok fast forward to last weekend bike had starting up when running couldn’t choose different power modes then 20 minutes later on way home (too nervous to ride anymore ) bike totally cut out now , me totally pi$$ ed off ! Now before all the smart arsed contributors tell me I’m not looking after it I don’t wash near motor, battery or TCU and the bike is NEVER WASHED UPSIDE DOWN .I clean the power lead before I charge and take great care to check the charger connector is 100% clean ! Surely The bike isn’t fit for purpose ?

This is the best advert for not buying a specialized

 

[WatermanJim]

I think the main problem here is, in general , LBS mechanics don't have the experience or the time to find the problems and fix them correctly the first time. People who have a little problem and dont even try to fix it and take it directly to the shop are asking for more problems. If i relied on a bike shop to keep my bikes tuned i would never ride. The problems i hear fom my buddies are the same, over and over bike sits for a week before they even get to it bla bla bla. I end up telling people to come to me and so i service many a levo over the last 10 years and have more parts and knowledge than any LBS. I still work closely with my LBS and they are great for ordering parts and warranty claims. Bottom line is trusting a bike shop is the first mistake. Not saying they are not capable of fixing it, i'm saying they can't make money fixing it because it takes too much time and they don't have the experience to tell the difference between motor noise and a worn-out front chainring. Specialized has a very minimal compensation for warranty claims so i'm sure every mechanic cringes when an unhappy customer comes in for the 4th time who did'nt even buy the bike directly from the store.

 

[WatermanJim]

Hi,
I ride in a group with 4 other ebikes. One of them is a turbo levo gen 3 like mine. We ride in the same conditions. Dry, wet, snow, rain... I'm the only one who has problems with the engine turning off, the battery charging that shows errors, etc. We all wash our bikes carefully after riding. Specialized ignores my emails. There is no authorized dealer for Specialized in my country. There is one store that sells them... but they don't accept warranties unless the bike was purchased from them and Spec approves them. This is my fifth Spec, but this time it will be the last.

My buddy had big problems with his gen 3 and was relentless on the phone with specialized and got a brand new gen 4 no charge. I have seen specialized help out many people with questionable warrany claims even on second hand bikes so if you get through to the right person they should pull through.

 

[cimi74]

My buddy had big problems with his gen 3 and was relentless on the phone with specialized and got a brand new gen 4 no charge. I have seen specialized help out many people with questionable warrany claims even on second hand bikes so if you get through to the right person they should pull through.

What phone number did he call? all the ones I tried to call are not working or no one answers.!?