Dirt Bike Oil Tames “Jumpy” Clutch

Joe Quackenbush, of Manti, Utah, began riding motorcycles years ago to escape stress in his life. “The motorcycle was my...

September 29, 2021

Joe Quackenbush, of Manti, Utah, began riding motorcycles years ago to escape stress in his life. “The motorcycle was my escape,” he said. “The feeling you get on a motorcycle – it’s just an awesome experience.” It’s so awesome that Quackenbush rides 12 months out of the year despite the occasional inclement weather in central Utah. “I followed a snowplow on my KLR* last year,” he said.

His love of riding plus his job as a property appraiser puts thousands of miles on his trio of enduro bikes each year. Quackenbush owns a KTM* 1090, a KLR 650 and a new Yamaha* WR250F. “Today, I have to go out on the Wasatch Plateau, and I’ll be doing 150 miles of dirt roads,” he said.

Research leads him to AMSOIL

Quackenbush, who has a background in teaching physics, recently discovered the excellent performance of AMSOIL Synthetic Dirt Bike Oil after trying it in his new Yamaha. “I was all dead set on using Yamalube* in this brand-new bike,” he said. But then he noticed AMSOIL Synthetic Dirt Bike Oil available at Rocky Mountain ATV and decided to do some research. “I’ve always looked at everything scientifically,” he said. “The more research I did on it, the more I realized, ‘Wait a minute, they’re using better synthetics, they’re testing this stuff, people swear by it and maybe I should give it a try.’”

“It wasn’t like riding a bucking bronco anymore”

Switching from the factory-fill oil to AMSOIL provided immediate benefits, notably in clutch feel. “The clutch, for a new bike, was a little jumpy,” he said. “[It] was like it was either engaged or not engaged, there was no in between.”

Draining the factory oil and installing AMSOIL 10W-40 Synthetic Dirt Bike Oil (DB40) solved the problem. “I couldn’t believe the feel of the clutch,” he said. “Much more of a transition. Much smoother. A better overall feel of the clutch. It wasn’t like riding a bucking bronco anymore.”

AMSOIL turns down the heat

Switching to AMSOIL also reduced engine heat. “I also noticed that the bike ran a lot cooler,” said Quackenbush. Following a ride one day while still using the original factory-fill oil, Quackenbush noticed a strange smell. “I came back and smelled something burning. It was my pant leg on the exhaust,” he said, reasoning the engine had been running abnormally hot. Later, after having changed to AMSOIL Synthetic Dirt Bike Oil, he placed his hand on the clutch cover following a ride and noticed it was warm to the touch; by comparison, it had felt hot when using the factory-fill oil.

Oil clings to engine parts

The Yamaha includes a sight glass in the oil sump, which provided more confirmation of AMSOIL Synthetic Dirt Bike Oil’s increased performance – the oil appeared to cling to engine parts better after shutting off the engine.  

“When you turn the engine off with the Yamalube, the sight window fills right up,” he said. “What that’s telling me is it’s not adhering inside the engine.” However, the window takes longer to fill using AMSOIL, suggesting it remains in the upper end of the engine longer due to improved viscosity retention during operation.

100,000 miles in sight

Quackenbush is so happy with AMSOIL Synthetic Dirt Bike Oil that he plans to use it in his KTM 1090 and KLR 650. The KTM has 41,000 miles (66,000 km) on it, while the KLR has 35,000 miles (56,300 km). “My goal for the 1090 is 100,000 miles (161,000 km) and I’m almost halfway there,” he said. AMSOIL products will go a long way toward helping him reach his goal.

“Believe the hype,” he said. “If you want to protect the engine and you want the engine to have longevity, then oil becomes critical.”

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