At this past weekend's Coastal wrenching session, my fellow Mootsters helped me install a DRP Kevlar Clutch and the Dyna 3000 ignition and pack my Vance and Hines pipes.
Since I put these on at the same time I kinda have to review both of them.
The DRP Clutch:
The kevlar clutch is made by Barnett to Dave's specifications. It costs about $150 to $160. My stock clutch had about 18,000 miles on it and was still fairly good shape. The first thing I noticed is that the springs are much stronger. The lever is a lot stiffer than the stock clutch. Allen recently installed a stock clutch in his bike and also confirmed this when riding my bike. It's definitely a lot more clutch.
The DRP clutch grabs. It grabs very well. Power is transferred quickly. More about that below.
The stiffer springs do make for a harder hand squeeze. If you commute a lot this may not be fun. With a stock clutch and a well-lubed cable (using Dri-slide) the clutch felt effortless, like it was hydraulic. I'll see how the Kevlar clutch feels after lubing the cable.
The Dyna 3000:
The Dyna ignition does a few things.
1. It has more powerful spark which helps in starting and better combustion.
2. It has adjustable timing curves that change the advance at various RPMs. Curve 4 is the preferred curve for most modified setups. It works well on jetted Magnas with a K&N and aftermarket pipes. It has consistently provided 2 more HP in the mid-range on dynos.
3. It has an adjustable rev limiter that doesn't have a gradual taper to the rev limit like the stock ignition.
The Dyna ignition runs anywhere from $250 to $300 depending upon where you get it. I got mine from Dave.
The combination:
I can't say that I notice more seat-of-the-pants power in the mid range from a wide open throttle with the Dyna, but when combining it with the Kevlar clutch, things were definitely different. On our afternoon ride I broke the wheel loose 3 or 4 times when shifting and hitting the gas. I quickly realized I needed new respect for the beast.
Dave says the Dyna is providing more power and the clutch is getting it there. I have to agree.
Approaching the rev limiter I definitely noticed a difference with the Dyna. The rev limiter kicks in sharply now at 10,500 rpms. Because it dosn't begin a gradual roll off I can run the bike straight up to 10K with a sharp pronounced shift and no bobbling like before. The top end power is a lot more accessible now.
The conclusion:
I'm very happy with both. I still have about 2,000 miles before the clutch seats so I'll post any updates on how the bike shifts. It is making a little noise but I'm not worried about it.
My only regret is that I don't have better option for tires to help control this power. ;)
Glad to hear those parts are working for you and thanks for the write up. I have wanted to do those mods to my Magna for a while now. After hearing you talk about it that will be a must have for me.
Glad it helped, Jeff. My next Magna improvement will be the suspension. I plan to go with Progressive 440s for the rear and cartridge emulators and a good straight rate spring on the front or perhaps a true cartridge system.
I have a feeling those will be my best improvements to date because confidence in the suspension is the one thing that I think holds me back from using the power the stock Magna has. I hope to have those mods done before MootMag so if you're going to be there you're welcome to ride it. Of course the suspension will be tuned to my weight (with gear on) which comes in about 185. Depending on how big you are you may find the suspension a little soft. But it won't be as soft as it is now, that's for sure. :D