21
    Levo Retailer Technical Guide 
Troubleshooting & Diagnosis Guide - 
Performance Issues
Symptom Category - Noise
Type of 
Noise
Conditions & Checks Typical Cause How to Address
Grinding Occurs at all speeds
Tactile
Felt when turning motor by hand 
with bike in stand
Outer bearing wear and/or 
damage
Abuse
Use of pressure washer, 
especially on the drive side
Replace the motor unit (typically not 
covered under warranty).
Work with Retail Care rep for potential 
"crash replacement" pricing of motor.
Educate the rider on proper bike washing 
habits. The rider can continue to use the 
bike until there is excessive bearing play.
Squeaking Occurs at all speeds Dry belt, found on early motors SBC Service center can address in the 
Summer 2017 (CE and US). 
 
Possible warranty resolution, send to Retail 
Care for evaluation.
Felt when turning motor by hand 
with bike in stand
Bearing failure/seize
Use of pressure washer, 
especially on the drive side
Replace motor unit (typically not covered 
under warranty).
During extreme effort the motor 
produces a loud squeak then 
shuts off
The over torque protection is 
engaged. This happens when the 
rear wheel suddenly stops while 
the rider and motor are providing 
full effort.
Not typically a fault or defect as the system 
is designed to perform this way to protect 
the motor. The motor should return to 
normal operation after restarting the bike.
Clicking/clunking Occurs intermittently during 
specific conditions such as:
• Acceleration
• Hard efforts
• Rapid changes from pedaling 
to coasting
Loose spider and spider lockring 
Remove, grease, and tighten to 70 N•m. 
Motor cover bolts over tightened Remove, clean, prep, then reinstall bolts:
• Clean bolts thoroughly
• Apply light grease under bolt heads
• Apply blue thread lock to bolt threads (i.e. 
Loctite 242®)
• Clean the edges of the motor cover and 
frame
• Install the cover bolts and tighten to  
1.5 N•m, do not overtighten
Motor covers have edge 
contamination
Remove the motor covers (does not require 
crank removal)
Clean the edges of the motor cover and 
frame
Lightly roughen the motor cover edges with 
a 100-180 grit emery cloth or equivalent.
Prep and install the cover bolts.
Improper motor mount fastener 
torque
Loosen, then gradually tighten the bolts in 
an across-the-motor sequence to 23 N•m. 
Do not over tighten.
Loose belt in motor, occasionally 
found on some early motors
SBC Service center can address in the 
Summer 2017 (CE and US).
Axial play in spindle Contact Retail Care
Variable Motor sounds change during a 
single ride
Different demands during a 
ride will result in different motor 
sounds
General, as opposed to specific, motor 
noise is not typically problematic nor 
covered by warranty.
Motors that do create excessive noise can 
be covered under warranty on a case-by-
case basis by contacting Retail Care.
Motor sounds change over the 
life of motor
Motors generally get louder as 
they age
Motor sounds change in 
response to heat
Motors generally get louder as 
they generate heat internally