# Levo owners, have you seen this?



## Simplemind (Jul 17, 2006)

Evidently there are a lot of motor failures out there. What's your experience?


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## knobs (Oct 13, 2005)

Save 15 minutes, just read the video description and there's not much more to it.
I check on this forum occasionally for such news, so thanks for passing on the link.

His info is very specific on manufacture dates and serial numbers, but what's the source of this info?

Also, occasionally he calls the motor a battery, even in the description.


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## Simplemind (Jul 17, 2006)

knobs said:


> His info is very specific on manufacture dates and serial numbers, but what's the source of this info?
> 
> Also, occasionally he calls the motor a battery, even in the description.


His source, I guess, is his himself and his two buddies that have identical problems. And give the feedback fro the viewers, it does seem a serious problem. Whether Spesh has, and/or can fix the motor problems remains in question in my mind.

I was ready to order a Levo SL until I saw this video. Now I'm in a holding pattern.


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## mtbrdan (Jun 1, 2004)

Simplemind said:


> His source, I guess, is his himself and his two buddies that have identical problems. And give the feedback fro the viewers, it does seem a serious problem. Whether Spesh has, and/or can fix the motor problems remains in question in my mind.
> 
> I was ready to order a Levo SL until I saw this video. Now I'm in a holding pattern.


The SL is a completely different motor.


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## mlx john (Mar 22, 2010)

The SL has a completely different motor, designed by Specialized. It's not a Brose. It does not have the belt that the Brose uses, which is where the failure occurs.

They're well on the way to being sold out, like the Levo btw, so I wouldn't hold out too long.


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## rod9301 (Oct 30, 2004)

mlx john said:


> The SL has a completely different motor, designed by Specialized. It's not a Brose. It does not have the belt that the Brose uses, which is where the failure occurs.
> 
> They're well on the way to being sold out, like the Levo btw, so I wouldn't hold out too long.


I had a number of specialized bikes, some with proprietary forks and they all sucked.

I would be really careful when buying a specialized designed motor.

Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk


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## knobs (Oct 13, 2005)

Simplemind said:


> His source, I guess, is his himself and his two buddies that have identical problems.


Rather than his personal experience, I was referring to facts such as a specific date for new versions of motors. This could be from the LBS, which in turn could possibly come from Specialized reps. It feels like that old telephone game we all played as kids.


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## Flyer (Jan 25, 2004)

The SL motor is also on their Creo road/gravel bike. No issues so far. The Levo motor had some bad belts, I heard.


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## nilswalk (Nov 26, 2014)

It's unclear exactly what that original post is claiming. is the motor failing, or the belt? Or the belt fails in a way that then causes the motor to fail? Or is it just the belt, but the user just thinks "I turn the pedals, it doesn't go, therefore the motor failed"?


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## mtbrdan (Jun 1, 2004)

I believe it is the belt fails and takes out the motor. It's not a claim, I personally know 4 guys with Levos that have gone through about 15-20 motors between them. Specialized is making a running change to a motor with a wider belt that they fell will eliminate the problem.


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## Forgettable (Jun 25, 2020)

New member, first post. I recorded this video yesterday. Mike's Bikes in Pleasanton, where I bought the bike, is asking Spesh for a warranty repair. The bike is just over a year old.


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## stoplight (Mar 8, 2009)

disregard, got the link to work


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## Salespunk (Sep 15, 2005)

I have seen a few motor failures with the belt issue. Specialized replaced all of them with zero questions and all of them has been solid since then.


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## sooslow (Dec 14, 2017)

Salespunk said:


> I have seen a few motor failures with the belt issue. Specialized replaced all of them with zero questions and all of them has been solid since then.


This has been the experience that 2 of my buddy's had. So far so good with my Levo Comp, but hafts admit I'm waiting for the shoe to drop...


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## Flyer (Jan 25, 2004)

Specialized has sold a LOT of Levos so they better get geared up fast, or riders will be waiting for months to get a warranty fix done. I don't have a Levo though I originally started by looking at one but I know people who do. So far, they have had zero issues but they rarely run it in Turbo mode, and I suspect that is what may accelerate the issue showing up.


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## RickBullottaPA (Mar 4, 2015)

If you check out the eMTB forums at

https://www.emtbforums.com/community/forums/specialized.4/

...you see that motor failures are very common with Levos, and that they tend to get addressed under warranty. It's certainly inconvenient to be without your bike for a while, but at least they stand behind them.


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## Simplemind (Jul 17, 2006)

I thought this was a really well done review:

https://www.emtbforums.com/community/threads/2018-specialized-turbo-levo-expert.13521/#post-184237

It confirms my reluctance to go with a Levo. :nono:


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## Callender (Mar 25, 2014)

I've had my Levo for a month and it's been a great experience. But I try to limit my time in Turbo--and I know it's probably just a matter of time before the motor goes. I'm sure they'll figure out a fix at some point. It would be nice if it happened this year!


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## Simplemind (Jul 17, 2006)

Callender said:


> I've had my Levo for a month and it's been a great experience. But I try to limit my time in Turbo--and I know it's probably just a matter of time before the motor goes. I'm sure they'll figure out a fix at some point. It would be nice if it happened this year!


Yeah, I think it's a great machine, and tic's almost all the boxes. One thing that's hardly ever mentioned is how much weight the rider with gear is and what kind of terrain has it been subjected to. I can see a larger percentage of ebike owners are probably a bit heavier, and they want to charge those 20% grades that they can't without the motor. Got to put a lot of strain on the motor.


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## Dirtrider127 (Sep 17, 2010)

Does the belt just snap and it stops moving or are there precursor noises/clicks/whining that happens beforehand? Any indication that is about to fail?


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## dundundata (May 15, 2009)

I have a Brose motor on an iZip bike. The motor did not give any warning. I used it for commuting (6 months). Then one day rode home fine, next day started my ride and loss of power. It made a high pitched wirring sound when I tried to get it going.

I did open it up and replace the belt which is a pretty easy job but unfortunately it did not work. Perhaps something in the proprietary software? Mechanically is looks fine.


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