Trouble Starting When Hot - Check the Air Gap

We love our classic bikes but as I’m sure you know they can be tricky to maintain especially when we are not all mechanics or auto electricians.  Even the most experienced bike owners can sometimes miss something.

One of our good customers who has owned and maintained his classic bikes for many years thought he had a problem with his Tri-Spark Classic Twin ignition.  He came to us saying his Triumph T140 would not restart when hot.  He had done the self test and it had passed but couldn’t get it to start again until it had cooled down.  

Steve suggested checking the air gap; that’s the clearance between the rotor and stator.  Turns out the air gap was too great.  He made the adjustments and now his T140 is running like a dream.

The Classic Twin Installation Manual has a section on troubleshooting and tips starting on page 10, we always recommend reading through and checking the installation if you have any concerns.  Remember we are always happy to help out! 

Specifications

The Air Gap (rotor to stator unit clearance): 2mm +/- 0.6mm