Starting when hot

[Conehead]

I have an old school bike so no need to pull in the clutch to start. Please explain this to me. Bike starts as normal without clutch but when bike is really hot it refuses to start unless the clutch is pulled in. This is something new that is happening and this is now the third time it has happened. Without the clutch the bike is dead until it cools down.

[wheelers]

opening clutch takes some weight off the motor turning over, that's all, if you havnt got a clutch interlock then wouldn't make any difference, normally

[Conehead]

Should have mentioned I think I got the answer on a Triumph forum. The short of it is that the valves expand slightly when hot and when pulling in the clutch regardless if needed or not it reduces stress on the engine enough for it to start when hot. So the next job I have when I can be arsed are the valve clearances. That will be fun as I have to do all my bike maintenance on the street as I dont have a garage. Ah well, the neighbours are used to seeing me fiddling with me nuts and screws on the road ;)