Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums banner

T120 - Sluggish Engine Start

35K views 152 replies 57 participants last post by  Rip Van Finkle 
#1 ·
Do any of you T120 owners find that your T120 ever has issues starting? I often press the starter button and hear the starter firing but the engine doesn't startup. I'll let it sit for a second or two and it always fires up on the second try. I mentioned this to the dealership at the 500-mile service. The counter boy said that he would relay my concerns to the mechanic but the issue persists now.

I have installed the Scorpio SR-i900 alarm, so I'm not sure if there is perhaps an issue with battery levels. Every time I disengage the alarm, prior to starting, the battery voltage is 12.8 or 13 volts. If the battery charge was the issue, then I suppose I would experiences difficulties on the second attempt to start too.
 
#7 ·
I have not seen this issue yet with about 280 miles now. The dealer did tell me when I pick up the bike to make sure I turned the ignition on and to wait until all the dials did their little test by going to max and then down back to zero, then to press the start button. About 2-3 seconds.
 
#12 ·
hi guys new to the forum been watching youtube ride reviews and reading reviews of new triumph
on more than one review they said noticed there was a 2-3 second delay before start up they mentioned
the electronics talking to each so possibly this is why your getting start delay its one of the only review complaints ive heard
 
#14 · (Edited)
yes, I definitely am not starting it before the initial instrument cluster boot sequence completes. It most certainly did not seem like a good idea to try and start the engine while that process was still underway. Perhaps I'll wait a few more seconds over the next few starting attempts and see if that helps.

My bike had 4 miles on it when I picked it up.
 
#15 ·
Just curious here , what is the starting procedure as laid out in the bikes manual ? Or is there nothing in the manual as it appears they no longer have the enrichment knob ?
 
#17 ·
That is the exact procedure I have been following. Attempted a start this morning and the same thing happens, first time holding the starter for about 5 seconds....nothing. Attempted a second time a few seconds later and it starts successfully. Only seems to be an issue with cold starts.

What I haven't been doing (until now, moving forward) is what's listed in the "Caution" segment on the bottom of the picture above....waiting 15 seconds between subsequent operations of the starter button.
 
#24 ·
Mine does the same thing. I will never start on the first try. I will start on the 2nd try about 90% of the time. I am sure Triumph will fix this if enough people bitch about it. I still do not like the throttle lag. I am going to the dealer tomorrow and check with the mechanic and see if he has the latest throttle maps. Maybe the latest throttle maps have that resolved. I sent an email to Triumph and they have opened a service request on that and the gap in the exhaust pipe. It seems that they knew about it as they did not ask any questions on clarification.
 
#30 ·
Sorry to get back on the subject of throttle lag. I have not noticed any lag, if anything I am hearing some folks here say it is too sensitive. If it's truly 2-3 seconds that is huge and I would have noticed that.

Just to give some prospective. On my first or second ride I took my right hand off the grip to adjust the mirror and I accidentally brushed the throttle in the deceleration direction. I had an immediate nose dive (I was expecting a slow deceleration as the throttle unwound). Because my hand was off the grip it was a small pucker moment.

Not a big deal but my point is, it was VERY responsive.
 
#31 ·
"Just to give some prospective. On my first or second ride I took my right hand off the grip to adjust the mirror and I accidentally brushed the throttle in the deceleration direction. I had an immediate nose dive (I was expecting a slow deceleration as the throttle unwound). Because my hand was off the grip it was a small pucker moment."

That sounds like engine braking to me. Is that what you meant about the throttle lag? I may have misinterpreted your original post.
 
#32 ·
I didn't make the original post on throttle lag (or slowness of the bike to respond), and I don't think my bike has a throttle lag issue. And agree what I was describing was engine braking. My statement was addressing the sensitivity of the throttle. If anything I was trying to express that my bike is very responsive to throttle input.
 
#34 ·
I had a 1050 Tiger a few years ago that had a similar start issue when starting the bike from cold:
1) Turn the key and wait 5 - 10 seconds as the bike went through the start up routines, speedo and rev counter going to limit, idiot lights and the fuel system pressurizing
2) Pull in clutch lever and press 'Start'. Engine turns over but doesn't catch
3) Wait a couple of seconds and press 'Start' again and the engine immediately fires up.

This was a very consistent behavior. Replaced the battery, put in the TOR tune, no difference.
 
#37 ·
Maybe this got overlooked in the owners manual.

Almost all the new EFI bikes now need a few seconds to program before you hit the starter. Most often there will be a yellow light that will go off or else you wait for the instruments to sweep back and forth and calm down in the proper place. 2 to 3 seconds is all it takes.

HD's have been this way for years. I was always told they had the best EFI programs. I think the other companies have caught up by now. I'm sure Triumph have with these new bikes.
 
#39 · (Edited)
after riding for like 2 hours non stop the fan fused blew and my engine overheated
That doesn't sound good. On the open road the fan should hardly ever work, a bit like on cars where it only operates in slow city driving. Even if it was working continuously due to a failure of its thermostat switch, the fuse should be rated for continuous operation.

It's a 10 amp one, enough for a 125 Watt fan, about 1/6th hp. A typical car cooling fan draws perhaps 6 amps, the Bonnies probably about 3-4 amps or so. Check that the blades are spinning freely, no leaves or other obstruction in the fan which would cause a larger than normal current draw.

Wait until the engine has cooled down though, the fan can start-up unexpectedly on its own even if the ignition is turned off.
 
#41 ·
Yeah as soon as i saw the engine red light i stop. I was in heavy traffic why the fuse blew ? Should i have the dealer run an engine check ???
If the fuse removed was the correct 10 amp one (should be coloured red), then the chances are that the positive feed wire to the fan motor is snagged, trapped somewhere or badly routed over a sharp edge, its insulation damaged and it shorted to ground.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top