DP makes a strong statement of durability and long life with its all-inclusive clutch kits. The company claims all its plates will last much longer than stock components (300 percent longer on the steels!) and clutch fade will be virtually nonexistent.I love putting product claims like this to the test. So I installed a complete clutch kit (friction and steel plates as well as new springs) in my 2009 CRF250R Long Haul bike-a model known for eating clutches-about four months ago.If you've read the Long Haul Wrap-Up for the CRF (beginning on page 97), you know that after I installed the DP unit, I forgot about it. I only opened the clutch cover on the bike out of curiosity for the rest of the year-the kit worked that well. I didn't love everything about it, though. The pull at the lever went from stock buttery-smooth to a bit chunky and stiffer with the DP unit, so Function takes a hit in the ranking.Lever feel aside, clutch performance out of the DP unit was far better than stock. I purposely abused the pack throughout track days and during starting drills and it simply shrugged off the abuse. This photo was taken after I pulled it out of the bike.The $204.95 DP clutch kit comes in a handy plastic box and is ready for install with no pre-soaking required. I'm using the cool box now to store the used DP kit I took out of our '09 CRF-hoping it will fit in the 2010 or I can pass it along to a friend with an older-generation CRF. -Jesse Ziegler
