Enduro Engineering (EE) is serious about KTM performance, even if performance in this case happens to be comfort. EE tried to work with off-shore companies to get a KTM seat, and it came up with a pretty good one. But it kept working to perfect it and ended up with an all-new complete seat designed and manufactured in the United States. The first order of business was to redesign the seat pan to contain an additional 1.5 inches of foam without changing the seat height.
The stock seat base on 2004 KTMs is dished underneath, so it only holds a fraction of the foam that it appears to hold. EE formed a new pan that is flat on the bottom rather than dished. The seat bottom also features air channels that maximize airflow to the airbox.
Many of the aftermarket seat foams available last pretty well if they are hard, but not if they start out soft and comfortable. EE located a new rubberized foam that resists breakdown but is still soft. Plus it has enough density that you're not riding on the seat pan after a few miles. It finished the seat with a partial gripper cover. The seats come in standard height and a tall that has an additional 1.25 inches of foam cushion for more legroom.
We tried the tall one and loved its cushioned, bump-absorbing feel. For open terrain, it worked great for riders who stand 6 feet or more, but even they found it a bit of a reach to the ground in technical situations. The seat is holding up well so far, much better than most soft foam versions we've tried. We're sold. We've wanted a flat-bottom KTM seat ever since the SX models started coming with a dished base. The EE seat is great. At $129.95, it is less than some seat foam/cover combinations though a little more than some complete seats. It's worth the difference.
Karel Kramer