The Perfect Storm: A powerful combination — in four-part harmony

The hype is real and yes, the Perfect Storm does work as advertised. Just listen to what our customers are saying about it. The following video features real customers sharing real experiences from this system. They’re not paid actors, and there’s no script. This is the real deal. We can’t make this stuff up.

So what exactly is The Perfect Storm?

The Perfect Storm is the combination of four key components that, when used together allow your bike to perform better, run cooler and become more efficient. Think of it as a recipe for baking a cake. If you want it to taste right, you need to have all of the ingredients — no substitutions, no leaving something out. You can’t swap ketchup for egg whites. Same goes for the Perfect Storm. You leave out a component or substitute the TTS Master Tune for a “band aid” plug-in tuner, you won’t get the best results. Instead of a Perfect Storm, you end up with a disappointing Tropical Depression — and it’s weakening.

Let’s start with the air cleaner, one of the key components to the system. You can use any one of Kuryakyn’s Hi-Flow Air Cleaners to achieve high horsepower. All Kuryakyn air cleaners use a K&N / Kuryakyn-developed air filter element that allows more air flow than any of the others ever dreamed of. All that flow is great, but it’s the direction of the air that makes the difference. That’s why Kuryakyn air cleaners use a parabolic curve to direct the incoming air. There are no exposed bolts to slow the air down or cause any disruptions, thus creating an efficient high-velocity airflow for proper atomization within the combustion chamber.

Now that we’ve covered the intake, let’s move on to the exhaust, because all that air coming in is no good if it’s got nowhere to go. There are two main components to the exhaust system, and to get the best results, you need to have both.

Kuryakyn Perfect Storm

The first are the True Dual Head Pipes. Over the last few years, Harley has changed the head pipe design from a split rear pipe running over the transmission, to a newer style exiting the right side, then meeting up with the front head pipe and then running under the transmission. Why the heck do I even need to change my head pipes, you might ask. Good question, and here’s why: First off, stock head pipes are very restrictive. Just look at the bends for starters. They’ve got about as many kinks in them as a poorly coiled up garden hose. And everyone knows what happens when a garden hose is kinked — the water flow is cut off. Our True Dual Head Pipes are all mandrel bent, meaning the inside radius remains the same throughout the length of the pipe, allowing for consistent exhaust flow without interruption.

What about the size of the pipe? Our True Duals use a 1 3/4-inch diameter pipe that’s just the right size for the best overall power throughout the entire rev range. So how does that work? Well, a pipe diameter that’s too large will cause a drastic loss in low-end power while still making power towards the end of the rev range. And unless your bagger is a drag bike that never sees below 5000 rpm, a big old pipe just won’t work. Conversely, if the diameter is too small, high-end power will suffer and the bike will just feel doggy once it’s revved up.

The next key exhaust component are the Crusher Mufflers. So why exactly do we need to replace our stock mufflers? Do this: Take one off and try to look through it. Better yet, drop a bolt into one and try to get it out. There are so many chambers and baffles, it’s like watching a mouse in some mad scientist’s maze. By the time the mouse gets through to the end, it’s run into a wall, got lost and fallen asleep a few times. The Kuryakyn Crusher Mufflers use a straight-through design with perforated baffles and stainless-steel packing. These inner workings are the brainstorm of Mike Roland, the Kuryakyn Performance division manager. He’s also known as the Horsepower King of the V-Twin world, with numerous world records under his belt. Mike has logged more hours perfecting his designs and getting them right the first time than most people have spent brushing their teeth. The Crusher Mufflers were designed using a combination of wave tuning — a method that uses math to create the perfect sound while netting the most horsepower and torque — and extensive dyno testing and street testing to create a muffler that performs as good as it looks.

Finally the last piece of the puzzle is the TTS Master Tune. You can get more in-depth information about the TTS Master Tune in our blog post called “TTS Master Tune Puts You in Control of your Bike.” To sum it up, the TTS Master Tune is the most powerful tuning device available — bar none. It is eons ahead of your run-of-the-mill” “band aid” tuning boxes that fail frequently, experience horrible lag and lack the support necessary to actually make power efficiently. The TTS Master Tune reprograms the computer that’s already on the bike. What does that mean? Well it means you don’t have to go through the hassle of hiding a separate box. You don’t have to worry about bending any connector pins or even worse, damaging an ECU that costs about $1,700 to replace. With the TTS Master Tune, you can control virtually every parameter within the ECU. Want to raise the rev limiter? Go ahead. Change fuel settings? Sure. Make timing adjustments? Of course. Change your speedometer? You betcha. Diagnostic readings? Absolutely. Try doing any of this with a plug-in box.

With all of these pieces in place and installed correctly, it’s not uncommon to see a 14-horsepower increase at the wheel. In fact on some bikes, we have seen as much as a 23-horsepower increase over stock. There’s absolutely no other bolt-on performance package that can even come close to The Perfect Storm. None. The hype is real, and if you don’t believe us, watch the video again. Or ask our customers. Or best yet, experience it for yourself.