Dirt bike seats can be the biggest factor in determining the comfort of a motorcycle to some riders and matter little to others. Typically I don't get too particular about a seat, especially for motocross, but the X-Seat has changed all that. Why? Because it is so good.
All of this has little to do with the revolutionary method that is used to build the seat. The technique is something like a plastic bag that is injected with a proprietary type of waterproof foam to make a one-piece seat that no longer has a cover. It is like a solid lump of seat with the inserts or mounting tabs bonded onto the mold. The outer shell has a textured, semi-non-slip design and the material is a lot more rubbery than conventional seat covers. The seat bolts right on and typically they mimic the stock seat heights and shape. We tried them on KTMs and a Honda CRF450R in black, orange and red. They are available for all late model bikes and in a number of colors too, some quite bright!
The biggest advantage right from the get-go is the resistance the seat has to tearing or damage as it is really hard to punch into the material. And if you do it is not like the cover can separate as it is bonded to the filling inside. Then there is the density of the seat. It is brilliant. It is like a shock spring with a lot of preload and then great damping after that. So it feels stiff when you push on it with your hand or even when you just sit on it. But when you bounce or actually put some weight into the seat, it is really comfy. It is way more compliant than a stock seat especially in the really thin area towards the back where there is little-to-zero foam cushion. That initial stiffness makes it easy to slide on when you want to move around while sitting but other than that you'd never think this seat was stiff. Its ridges and contours are just enough to keep you from slipping if it is wet or muddy but not enough to feel like it is trying to tear your pants off or aid in the creation of monkey butt. And if you are a trail rider or off-road racer where sitting is way more common, the seat is even better because of the excellent density. The durability of the seat has been great and we have not broken the foam down one bit in over a year of use. Our testers who typically rip the seat covers on the lower edge of the seat haven't been able to tear the Acerbis seat.
At $199.95 the X-Seat may be a bit more expensive than other complete seats but it outlasts them by a huge margin and performs even better.
-Jimmy Lewis
| Hard Parts |
92.0 |
| Installation |
19/20 |
| Function |
48/50 |
| Durability |
9/10 |
| Design |
9/10 |
| Price |
7/10 |