Kuryakyn Hypercharger or S.E. air kit?

47109 Views 34 Replies 23 Participants Last post by Karen, Jun 19, 2011

furious77

Discussion Starter · Apr 1, 2002

Howdy all,
Still trying to decide on the Screaming Eagle air kit or the Kuryakyn Hypercharger. I really like how the hypercharger looks but haven't been able to find anyone who has one on thier sporty for some feedback. The S.E. kit is tried and true but how about Kuryakyn...anyone ever heard of any problems with thier products? I've heard of a few but they were mostly related to fuel injected bikes. Also I've tried to find any Dyno info on em' to no avail

to see how much HP they actually add vs. the S.E. air cleaner. If anyone knows of a good web link for info or if you have one installed please drop a few lines here as to wether you think they are worth the extra $$$.

-Ride Safe-

1 - 20 of 35 Posts

Straydog

· #2 · Apr 1, 2002

Do a search using Hypercharger. There were a few posts recently on this subject.

Personnally, I agree that Hypercharger looks good. But here's something to think about. How many Hyperchargers have you seen on bikes illustrated in Hot Bike, American Iron, or whatever?

Just my 2 cents!

cmoe

· #3 · Apr 1, 2002

I have an 883 Sportster. My husband installed the Kuryakyn Hypercharger and then we took it to the local dealer to rejet the carb.
I don't have any exact numbers on horsepower but there was a noticeable increase in power...especially at highway speeds...when I'm in fifth gear and want to pass...there's actually decent power there now. My gas mileage stayed the same. It looks great. I haven't had any problems with it. Just my opinion...take it for what it's worth.

Larry Burger

· #4 · Apr 3, 2002

S.E. air cleaner

I just installed the S.E. air filter with S.E. slip-ons and a Re-jet, it pulls really well.

Misguided

· #5 · Apr 3, 2002 (Edited)

You need to check out http://www.sportster.org/home.html

http://www.sportster.org/tech/basic-perf/stage-list.txt
"SE is Highest flowing air cleaner available, also the cheapest. KuryAkyn and Dragtron don't flow as well and are much more expensive."

http://www.sportster.org/tech/basic-perf/harley-tax.txt
"You just can't beat the $65 Harley Davidson Screamin' Eagle (SE) air
cleaner, which reuses the chrome "ham can" cover. Its filter element has
almost twice the surface area of the stock element. There's no other air
cleaner on the market that flows nearly as well. Plus, if you ever need to
put the bike back to stock, for warranty work for example, you haven't
permanently altered the stock components. However, many, if not most,
dealers will honor the warranty with the SE air cleaner and slip-on
mufflers, particularly if you paid them to install them at delivery or 500
mile checkup for example. Drilling the stock backing plate just gives the
dealer an excuse to void your warranty. The SE unit's not much more than a K&N replacement filter for the stock air cleaner ($56) and flows a lot better. But drilling the stock air cleaner backing plate and using the smaller,rectangular K&N air filter probably flows about as well as the DragTron and KuryAkyn poseur air cleaners which have about the same area. For those who are willing to sacrifice some performance for show, smaller air cleaners like the DragTron show off the chrome pushrod tubes against black painted cylinders excellently and I'd sure be tempted to use one of these on a Custom, for example. Smaller air cleaners like the DragTron also require additional hardware to handle the crankcase venting system, which goes into the air cleaner on a stock or SE setup, and a bracket to provide air cleaner support, which comes from the breather tubes on the stock or SE setup, so the total cost can be much higher than the SE unit."

Hope this info helps!

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rr33

· #6 · Apr 13, 2004

the hypercharger not only looks great, it functions great as well.only problem i can come up with is oil drips from the bottom of the charger .seems not all oil is sucked back through the carb.small price to pay for looks and performance.take a rag with you if it bothers you.not really that big a deal.p.s.--------the butterflies look really cool when your checking them out.

DTP

· #7 · Apr 14, 2004

nothing better for a sporty than a SE AC.

trackstar55

· #8 · Apr 14, 2004

The Hypercharger is Eye Candy only!!!!!!!!!!

rr33

· #9 · May 31, 2004

hypercandy

trackstar55 said:
The Hypercharger is Eye Candy only!!!!!!!!!!

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Coma-toast

· #10 · Jun 1, 2004

You should read this http://www.harleyhelp.com/faq.html before you buy. This guy has an interesting take on the Hypercharger. See his response below. He says on his website he is factory trained & authorized Harley-Davidson Service Technician and started the site to help those who can't afford the high prices HD charges and for people who like to work their own bikes.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Q: What do you think about those cool Hyper-Chargers?

Now here is an interesting item. It is possibly the most popular aftermarket product for sale, and yet could be the cause of a lot of the problems I have been hearing about.
Let's start with something you might not have noticed. One of the most attractive things about the Hyper-Charger are those cute little butterflies that flutter open and closed when you work the throttle. It's so cool, just like the blowers on the top fuel funny cars... except for one thing, the Hyper-Charger butterflies operate off manifold vacuum and the top fuelers are operated mechanically.
At idle and normal cruising speeds, the main air intake is through the butterflies but during acceleration the main air intake is shut off by the closed butterflies so there has to be another air intake area, and you will see a slot at the bottom rear of the Hyper-Charger body for this purpose.
The company claims that installing this air cleaner kit will improve performance and horsepower and that is true... under the right conditions. The reason it improves performance is because it utilizes a K&N free-flowing style filter, the same as you will find in the Screaming Eagle air cleaner kit and many others, even S&S is using the K&N style filter now. What the company does not tell you is that it will produce much better results on the dyno than on the highway. On the dyno it works great, but the dyno won't reproduce that 80mph wind forced into this air cleaner and out the rear like you get on the highway.
Because of the way the air travels into the front and out the rear of the Hyper-Charger, instead of forcing air into the carburetor, it actually siphons air (and fuel) out. As a result, you get what has been described as a "dead spot" or lack of power at highway speeds, not to mention the fuel breaks down the oil in your air filter hampering it's usefulness and the fuel mixed with air filter oil tends to deposit itself all down the right side of your bike when you go on long rides and then when you stop it all drips down on the cam cover, your foot, that cigarette butt you just dropped, and so on...

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rr33

· #11 · Jun 2, 2004 (Edited)

hyper candy

sounds to me like you just plain out right don't care for the product. that's ok, opinions are like ass holes and we all have one. i on the other hand don't mind getting dirty, turning a wrench, or trying to figure out something when it's not one hundred percent right. live and learn has been my whole life. maybe you shouldn't sit around all the time on your computer and quote what some other web site has to say. practical application is always more a learning experience than busting someones balls from a key board. if you can't afford one, that sounds like a money problem, and we all have them. the hyper charger isn't for everyone. 65 bucks sounds easier than 230$ . far as i'm concerned what ever i do to my bike, i don't base the dollar value to how much , but rather where i'm going to end up. sometimes people make decisions on parts and mods to there budget. when i do a mod or part upgrade, my decisions aren't based on cost, but rather if thats where i want to be. like i said earlier, opinions are like ass holes and if you think i'm one because i have a hyper-candy-charger, what ever. god bless the U.S.A.

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HD1200R

· #12 · Jun 2, 2004

I was talking to my machinist about getting a hyper charger and was told that they are not worth it. I'm still curious about it though and might get a used one to play with. Truth is, get what you want and enjoy it. Only thing that matters is if you like it and feel that you got your monies worth.

Chilly

· #13 · Jun 2, 2004

No first-hand experience, and my intuition doesn't mean beans to anyone but me, but consider this (estimates based on previous threads):

33% of the board thinks they're less effective than a SE type setup, and ugly to boot.
33% of the board thinks they're equally or less effective but look good
33% think they're more effective and look good
1%? I don't think anyone ever claimed they were effective AND ugly, but I have one percent left over so let's pretend someone believes this.

If they really worked I wouldn't think their merit would be so hotly contested and argued. I'm with the first 33%, but I'd hang a French horn on my carb if it would run better. But for the life of me I can't figure out how sticking a filter in an enclosed aluminum box with doors on the front can do anything good for airflow. Especially if the doors rely on manifold vacuum to open (what happens when you crack the throttle from low RPM?). I'm sure it breathes better than the stock box, but that's nothing to brag about. The stock box was designed to NOT breathe well. For $230 you can buy a more effective filter kit and have a good chunk toward a set of cams. Nobody argues whether a SE air cleaner kit and good cams runs better.

Chilly

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rovert

· #14 · Jun 2, 2004

Hmmm, to look cool or to be cool........decisions, decisions..... ;-) ;-)

rr33

· #15 · Jun 3, 2004

The Great Debate continues.........

Attack of the "Keyboard Commandos" strike again! Does anyone understand the principal behind the hyper-charger? The more vacuum the more the butterflies open up. the reason the thing is sitting sideways with the holes facing foward, is so air can be forced fed thru the air cleaner into the carb. If anyone knows anything about muscle cars from the 60's , alot of them had ram air

the more air forced into the carb, the more power generated. Just stop and think what the real principal behind ram air actually is. I rest my case.......... percentage polls don't really matter a whole lot to me. Mine works, sorry if yours doesn't. Maybe it wasn't installed right, maybe it wasn't jetted right, maybe the person who put in on and jetted it didn't know what they were doing 100%. Who knows????

Good Luck with your SE air kit. (only $65 big ones)................

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Sam

· #16 · Jun 3, 2004

the reason the thing is sitting sideways with the holes facing foward, is so air can be forced fed thru the air cleaner into the carb. If anyone knows anything about muscle cars from the 60's , alot of them had ram air the more air forced into the carb, the more power generated. Just stop and think what the real principal behind ram air actually is.

So how fast does one need to be going in order to see the benefits of such a setup?

Chilly

· #17 · Jun 3, 2004

rr33 said:
Attack of the "Keyboard Commandos" strike again! Does anyone understand the principal behind the hyper-charger? The more vacuum the more the butterflies open up. the reason the thing is sitting sideways with the holes facing foward, is so air can be forced fed thru the air cleaner into the carb. If anyone knows anything about muscle cars from the 60's , alot of them had ram air the more air forced into the carb, the more power generated. Just stop and think what the real principal behind ram air actually is. I rest my case.......... percentage polls don't really matter a whole lot to me. Mine works, sorry if yours doesn't. Maybe it wasn't installed right, maybe it wasn't jetted right, maybe the person who put in on and jetted it didn't know what they were doing 100%. Who knows???? Good Luck with your SE air kit. (only $65 big ones)................

rr33, for the most part the replies have been more or less reasoned. You, on the otherhand, are coming off like a dick. I can sort of understand your hypersensitivity regarding hyperchargers, considering past threads on the topic, but so far the thread hasn't gone that direction. Think about it. If the hypercharger concept worked better than a conventional free-flowing air cleaner kit other outfits would be copying the design, the vast majority of us would agree that they kick ass, and at least a few big time performance engine builders would be endorsing it. None of the above are true. Am I going to spend my $250 to try to prove all the professional builders wrong? No. I'm just stupid that way.

Chilly

wazzup6666

· #18 · Jun 3, 2004

Chilly said:
rr33, for the most part the replies have been more or less reasoned. You, on the otherhand, are coming off like a dick. I can sort of understand your hypersensitivity regarding hyperchargers, considering past threads on the topic, but so far the thread hasn't gone that direction. Think about it. If the hypercharger concept worked better than a conventional free-flowing air cleaner kit other outfits would be copying the design, the vast majority of us would agree that they kick ass, and at least a few big time performance engine builders would be endorsing it. None of the above are true. Am I going to spend my $250 to try to prove all the professional builders wrong? No. I'm just stupid that way.

Chilly

I just installed the SE system this morning on my 04 883. When I bought the bike they rejetted it and removed the baffles but for some reason the tech guy wasn't told to install the breather and because I didn't have time to wait, I took it as it was.

Anyway after installing it this morning, it coughed once because it was still warming up, but then after I got it warmed up and took it out on the road, I definately noticed it has gotten a little more kick in the pants, especially on the low end of the gears from first to 4th. THere is definately an improvment.
When I got on it once really good, I could smell a little gas so I might have to take it to the shop one more time and have something adjusted. I will wait and see after some more riding.

patsue

rr33

· #19 · Jun 4, 2004

hey bro

Chilly said:
rr33, for the most part the replies have been more or less reasoned. You, on the otherhand, are coming off like a dick. I can sort of understand your hypersensitivity regarding hyperchargers, considering past threads on the topic, but so far the thread hasn't gone that direction. Think about it. If the hypercharger concept worked better than a conventional free-flowing air cleaner kit other outfits would be copying the design, the vast majority of us would agree that they kick ass, and at least a few big time performance engine builders would be endorsing it. None of the above are true. Am I going to spend my $250 to try to prove all the professional builders wrong? No. I'm just stupid that way.

Chilly

if im a dick, your a mothers k!%t! keep going with the polls. maybe you should have been in politics. dont really care either way. glad to have given all food for thought. if you ever get down to my neck of the woods, stop by and will run them. then the tale will tell the tale. adois amigos whhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

there will be no further response to any on my be half on the HYPER CANDY CHARGER. by the way, what is your background or experience as far as riding, wrenching, etc., or is this your first bike, or are you one of them dudes that decided to get a harley to be cooolllllll with your friends (key board commandos)

rovert

· #20 · Jun 4, 2004

Jeez, I love these threads, fun to read but sometimes I wish DP had an age limit on who can subscribe to this site. Sounds like teenage hormone induced rantings...

One last observation about hyper chargers and their percieved "ram air" effect. Forced air induction has been around for a long time and for it to be effective to any degree it must utilize a closed airbox design. One bike that uses ram air induction very well is the Kawasaki ZX-9R. The Hyper Charger is an open airbox design and as such cannot develope anything higher then atmospheric pressure in its airbox. The air simply flows in the front and out the back slots. This is'nt rocket science....
This was already pointed out in the article excerpt that Coma-toast posted at the very beginning of all this silliness.

Does the Hyper Charger look cool? sure to some. Is it a "ram air" system?
Hardly.....

Happy riding.

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