Engine Will Not Start - Help

My T120 also requires the clutch lever pulled in even if it is in neutral.

 

I was told that all triumphs require the clutch pulling in before they will start - I don’t know how far that rule applies going back in history, but mines a 2012 FYI

 

Yep, it'll be the clutch.

 

If its shortcut permanently you run the risk of starting the bike with it in gear. That then has it lurching forwards, catching you unawares and sat on the floor

 

But isn't that how it used to be back in the day?
Everyone managed and didn't bat an eyelid, without being molly coddled every step of the way, not like now a days what with all this H & S and woke nonsense.

 

Yes, but IMHO things like clutch and stand switches are useful progress rather than a move towards a nanny state

 

I actually partly agree with your opinion there......
But the problem is, when this stops a human being actually controlling and respecting the vehicle and its related dangers.
Parking sensors are a good addition to modern cars but how many drivers now could accurately park their cars without them?
People become lazy, or dependent on technology, to resolve their bad habits.

 

That’s the difference between something being used as a backup to one’s own ability/skill/awareness/etc for completing a task, rather than it being the only means that someone totally relies on. The best example for me being satnav - I use one to better understand traffic conditions and how that will affect my arrival time. Others follow blindly and have no understanding of anywheres geographical position to where they are at any one time from point of departure to arrival.

 

The starter lockout circuits (clutch, neutral and sidestand switches) fitted to most bikes came about to avoid the danger of riding off with the sidestand down. My dirtbike doesn't have a SLC and it's not an issue although it does have a self folding sidestand so you can't ride off with it down. TBH I sometimes find the necessity to pull in the clutch on the SS to start it even when it's in neutral a bit of a PITA and unnecessary. The ZZR has a clutch switch but it can be started in neutral with the clutch out.

 

Now I’m confused - having read your post that sounds complimentary to my own thoughts @Pegscraper I don’t understand why you have Disagreed with my #9 response to @Eldon

 

So @learningtofly with you disagreeing with my post 8 are you saying that's not how it used to be?
If you've been into bikes a few years then I think you will find I'm right, if you cast your mind back?

 

I was riding back in the 70's / 80's so not disagreeing with that. More signalling that progress has generally been a good thing, especially with regard to motorbikes.

Don't be touchy

 

My point was (which I should have stated more clearly), is I've owned and ridden bikes without such "safety" features and didn't miss them. Was starting in gear or riding off with the sidestand down really that much of an issue? I doubt it.

On a loosely related theme, I had an intermittent misfire develop on a new GPZ1000 I bought in 1986 and they eventually traced it to a faulty sidestand switch. In the pre- ECU/computerised diagnostics era that really took some finding!

 

That makes more sense now - for the record I have no issue with anyone disagreeing with me (happens all the time ).

Many, many moons ago I took a tumble from my GP125 as I’d left the stand down and so had my heart set (once I’d passed my test) on a GPZ550. They had the auto fold stand when you pulled in the clutch.
Alas I didn’t have the funds come pass day and bank managers were less approachable back then. My only option was the Bank of Mum & Dad and whilst the terms were excellent the pot was not so large. A second hand CB400 Superdream was the best I could get which had no wizardry, but was still a heap of fun

 

Could've done a lot worse!!!

 

Self folding sidestands can also be a bit of a hazard. On the dirt bike, let's face it, if (when) it falls over it's no big deal, hardly anything to break but the Ducati 1198SP I owned briefly in 2011 also had one and that certainly did cause some heart stopping moments! Dropping £17k's worth of plastic clad superbike because of a "safety" feature would NOT go down well.

 

Yep, been there done that on an A65 years ago when I thought the stand was down and it wasn't and then on a 78 Bonnie parked on a very slight incline downhill the sidestand decided to flip up and drop the bike on its side. Note, never park facing downhill. Lol
My old Sprint sometimes needed the clutch pulling to start, other times not.