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| Hypercharger, photo courtesy of BikerBoyce, USA |
Please do not write to me with queries about the Hypercharger, I did not fit one to my machine, nor am I a mechanic.
I have read much about the KuryAkyn
Hypercharger fitted to many Vulcans,
mainly in the USA, so I thought I would bring a little bit of
hype to the UK. I don't have one fitted to my bike, I don't think
I would be brave enough to carry out the conversion, but this is
for those in the UK, who may want that extra edge of exclusivity.
The Hypercharger is an accessory normally available for H-Ds, but
KuryAkyn supply a complete kit for the Vulcan series. The
Hypercharger replaces the original equipment airfilter system,
allowing improved induction breathing, and combined with a less
restrictive exhaust system can give your Vulcan a decent power
boost. In the USA, expect to pay around $250, the problem is in
the UK, the same kit will knock you back £250.
For the benefit of UK owners, Matt at KuryAkyn passed me details of one of their suppliers in the UK,
contact HGB Motorcycles, they are based in Ruislip, Surrey, and
their phone number is 01895 676451, ask for Tony he is very
helpful.
The Hypercharger kit for the VN800, consists of three parts,
these are: -
P/N 8446 Hypercharger for Vulcan, £150
P/N 8593 Mounting Kit for VN800, £60
P/N 8562 Jet Kit for VN800 (170 main jet), £40
All these prices are near enough, so you will be looking at about
£250, I am not too sure on part numbers for VN1500 models, but
Tony at HGB told me the kit price is the same.
Take a look at the KuryAkyn WebSite. For actual
fitting details, instructions are supplied, but take a read of
Cap'n Kirk's installation, courtesy of Tweek's site, click the Mods button.
I also got some great help from the VRA Bulletin Board, where
else? Below are a couple of emails I received, so thanks to Bo
Fuller for his help on the Hypercharger, and Thomas Gould for
another slant on replacing the standard airfilter system with the
Thunder Mfg 7" round, your help was appreciated.
Bo writes: I installed the KuryAkyn Hypercharger on my 97 800B a
couple weeks ago. It was not difficult. If you have their
directions and the instructions from Cap'n Kirk (found on Tweek's website), everything is covered.
Improvements have been made to the
unit over time. Some of the things on the website instructions
are now part of the kit. It comes with about a half dozen
gaskets, a fitting for the crankcase breather, a fitting for the
pressure equalisation hose, and my bracket fit perfectly with no
hacksaw required.
Mine is running great and performance is noticeably improved. One
particular long steep grade has always held me to a top speed of
70 mph while climbing it, until now. I rode up this afternoon at
90 and still had more throttle. Acceleration is much better also.
I put in a 170 main jet, a 50 slow jet, shimmed the needle up
with a washer, and cranked out the mixture screw about 3 turns. I
also have V & H straightshots (baffled). My mileage
dropped from 46 to 41, but it's worth it.
The air intake system on the Vulcan 800 is strange to say the
least. It goes in under the tank (over the rear cylinder), around
inside that goofy black box under your tank, then into the filter
and finally into the carb. Several angles and considerable
distance. With the Hypercharger, air is forced straight into the
carb. Quick and direct. And it's vacuum activated, so the
butterfly valves open as you need the air.
I haven't had any of the problems you
sometimes hear about. No problem heading into a strong wind. No
carb farts. No backfiring. Maybe I'm lucky. Hell,
maybe I'm just good. Ha! Anyway, I had fun putting it on and
would definitely recommend it, highly. For what it's worth,
Bo Fuller
97 800 B
Southern California
Tom writes: Any modification to the intake is going to improve
performance, but it requires modification to the exhaust
also. The Hypercharger looks really nasty o the bike, but
requires significant speed to get a "ram" effect past
the butterflies when they are opened up. If you are just
after the looks, it's a great mod. But if you are seeking
maximum horses & torque, the Thunder Mfg. 7" round
is the best for that. Seems folks here in the Colonies have
settled into standard Carb Mod using the stock needle w/ 2 shims,
and the Pilot screw turned out @ 3 turns. Hesitation &
flat spots are minimised drilling out the Slide 7/32", and
clipping 1" off the Slide Spring. Good luck.
Ride Safe & Keep the Rubberside Down Tom VRA 1-14-18A-1500E ~V~3089
