TECH TIME | Did Someone Say Turbo Talon?

Installing the Kraftwerks Turbocharger System on a Honda Talon

Words & Install: Angela & Dain McCorison
Photos: Angela McCorison & provided by Kraftwerks

The time has come! If you are like us, you’ve been sitting at the edge of your seat anxiously awaiting the release of Kraftwerks’ Honda Talon turbo kit. Kraftwerks has been dubiously tuning, tweaking and testing the Talon turbo kit for well over a year — and it’s now available for purchase.

If you have not yet heard the buzz about this turbo kit or Kraftwerks, then you’re in the right place. Kraftwerks Performance Group is part of Group-A Engineering based out of Norco, California and boasts over 27 years of experience racing and tuning Hondas. Kraftwerks specializes in supercharger and turbocharger systems for street and off-road vehicles, designing each kit in-house. They have kits available for many UTVs on the market, you can find out more at Kraftwerksusa.com.

Kraftwerks’ new Talon Turbocharger System, like all their kits, is designed not only for power, but also reliability. Off-road and reliability don’t always go hand-in-hand but this kit impressively brings the two together with well engineered features. A high-end Garrett GT25 Dual Ball-Bearing turbo is the star of the show, mounted on top of a heavy-duty thick-wall tubular stainless exhaust manifold designed to resist extreme g-forces common to off-road racing and riding. While the kit is set from the factory to run 8 psi of boost, the Garrett GT25 has substantial performance headroom, allowing owners to turn the power and boost up if they desire.

Another important feature of this Kraftwerks Talon kit is the use of a big ol’ air-to-air intercooler mounted in the free flowing air behind the cockpit. In another nod to owners seeking more gains, the intercooler can also support more power (up to 400hp), and cooling fans can easily be added if needed.

To handle air filtration, the kit incorporates a Donaldson style dual-filter intake connected to the factory snorkel in the original location. Depending on riding terrains, pre-filters may not be necessary but Kraftwerks designed the kit to make adding an aftermarket particle separator a simple task. (We often ride in very dusty terrain so we chose to run a KWT particle separator.)

The Talon’s efficient dual-clutch transmission makes for a phenomenal combination paired with the Kraftwerks Turbo kit. We dyno tested the Talon with Kraftwerks’ own in-house wheel hub dynamometer before and after the turbo installation. In stock form the Talon made 86-rear wheel horsepower, a 25% drivetrain power loss from the factory stated 104hp. After installation, the Talon’s power increased to 111-rear wheel horsepower, a 30% increase!

This translates to roughly 140 crank horsepower after factoring drivetrain power loss. We also saw about a 30% increase in torque for a harder kick at lower RPMs. (Technical Note: With performance upgrades, it is always good to keep in mind that many variables can change dyno readings; ambient temperature, dyno type & calibration, vehicle gearing, tuning, IAT sensor, etc.)

On top of the reliability and extra ponies, Kraftwerks designed this kit to be D.I.Y. friendly. How tempting is it that in a matter of a weekend (and a good chunk of change), your Talon 1000R can gain the horsepower needed to make you giddy again? We couldn’t resist and installed the turbo kit under the supervision of Charles (aka “Dr. Charles,”) not only a technician at Kraftwerks but also a legend of Honda tuning and turbocharging. Dr. Charles was nearby during the whole install, just in case we had any questions about the instructions.

Installation Tools & Materials:

Kraftwerks designed the kit to use a stock or most aftermarket exhausts but note that some aftermarket systems might need some re-routing. However, rumor has it, Kraftwerks is designing an aftermarket exhaust of their own to complement the Talon turbo kit…

We also added a Kraftwerks’ newly released Turbo Blanket too. A turbo blanket helps isolate the heat produced by the turbocharger to prevent damage to surrounding components as well as keep the exhaust side of the turbocharger hot to improve efficiency.

Flashing your ECU is also extremely important after installing a turbo kit and Kraftwerks provides base tunes on their website for use with a Dynojet Power Vision 3 tuner (sold separately). The Dynojet PV3 can be purchased from a retailer of choice or you may try using Kraftwerks’ tuning partner DMT Performance.

We already had a Dynojet PV3 tuner for our Talon but did need to purchase Dynojet’s Wideband CX Single Channel AFR Kit for Honda to monitor air: fuel ratio and take the guesswork out of optimization. If you are looking for custom tuning, we suggest contacting PPEI to discuss your options.

Those who don’t quite feel confident enough to handle tuning themselves can always have a qualified professional do it – at least you’ll save a bunch of coin by installing the turbo kit yourself.

Kraftwerks recognizes that reliability and longevity are also top priorities for consumers, so much so that they focus on these aspects first and foremost with maximum horsepower considered closely in second.

Their products offer a full one-year Limited Warranty against defects in materials, components, and workmanship. They are also more than happy to help you through installation questions or tuning questions, to help you have the best and most reliable experience.

IG: @KraftwerksOffroad

https://kraftwerksusa.com/

2019-2021 Honda Talon (1000R) Turbocharger System (Part#165-05-1000, MSRP: $4,415.24)

Turbo Blanket  (part# 199-05-0100, MSRP: $150)