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Joined
5/1/2026
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I have a 350 with right at 21 hours
I recently changed the oil and bought Motorex Power Synt instead of Cross Power. Both 10W50
I read there wasn't a whole lot of difference so I just went with it.
After riding yesterday in deep loan and probably dragging the clutch more than I should have I noticed a screeching sound coming from the clutch when letting the clutch out. I continued to ride and didn't notice anything.
I let the bike cool down for about 15 mins and tried to recreate the sound and couldn't get it to.
Could it be the oil I used or just riding the clutch too much? I have had lots of Austian bikes and never had one do this all though I typically use the correct oil as well.
I have experienced this myself with dragging the clutch but the traction control was on. I was going on 7 hrs on the oil. It has never made that sound since after changing the oil and never using traction control again.
How many hrs on the clutch pack?
20hrs. I drained the oil and put the correct oil in. By the second moto noise was gone and everything sounded normal. My guess is the Power Synt has some additive that the clutch didn’t like.
Hundreds of clutch abusing hrs on my 2t & 4t ktm”s….all with Rottella T6 ….never an issue…the clutches are inherently noisy at idle….with lever out…
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I had this issue, changed fhe whole clutch and it never went away. Washing bike one day, saw a wood chip stuck in the chain slider. Pulled it out and problem fixed lol
Both oils meet the same standards and use the same synthetic base. The power synt has some additional detergents for longer interval changes typical with road machines. It is unlikely the oil was causing the noise. More likely that something was different (riding style which you mentioned, warm up, snagged something on the track, etc. )
If you really want to be certain all is well, remove and inspect the clutch for wear, and measure clutch plates.
Yeah probably the oil does not jive with an MX clutch that is being slipped and getting hot in deep loam. I have no experience with the Power Synt but have used Top Speed in place of the Cross Power before with no issues. I'd assume if you inspect the clutch now you'll see burnt or blued plates if you literally heard screeching, lol. If it was a cable clutch, you likely would have noticed the damage you were doing at the lever. But a hydraulic clutch hides those symptoms. Basically you pulled an Eli Tomac.. LOL
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