Seat Concepts OEM Race 2.0 Complete Seat

My standard 2020 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition seat didn't last long. The foam broke down, the cover ripped and my butt wasn't happy with me. I have pictures to prove it, but I'll spare all of you that nasty image. Enter Seat Concepts. After all of these years I have yet to experience any of their products until now. I wanted to get a complete seat so I had an extra one on hand and thought why not try something different. Seat Concepts offers covers, foams, complete seats and anything in between. I chose to try the standard OEM Race 2.0 seat and came away impressed. 

The 2.0 seat is light, the cover is beautiful and the whole seat pan itself is well built. The standard foam was a little soft for my liking, so if you’re looking for a slightly firmer feel from your OEM foam, you may want to order a firmer density from the beginning. Seat Concepts does not offer custom seat shaping or custom covers. Seat Concepts foam material starts out as a liquid, so each different seat shape requires its own mold. They do not alter existing foam shapes. Due to their current production process, cover options are limited to those shown on each specific product page on their website. The Seat Concepts foam feels different than any other foam I have tried to date. The foam has a slightly more of a cushy feel in the middle of the seat than other foams I have tried, so comfort is always at an optimal level near the middle of the seat. The front as well as the rear of the seat has a slightly firmer feel to it, but I was mostly riding in the middle cushy part. I have noticed over the years that I just like firmer foams, especially when diving into deep ruts. On small chop the seat foam was extremely friendly to my butt and took a lot of the harsh impact out of some unexpected acceleration square edge.

The Seat Concepts cover is ribbed and has plenty of traction to keep my shovel pan ass where it belongs, when on the gas hard out of corners. Did I mention that I love the way the blue color way ties in with my new graphic set up on the KTM? For $294.99 you’re getting a quality complete seat with a one year warranty and to me that seems like a fair price. If you’re as picky as me with your rider triangle, going to a Seat Concepts complete seat is a great way to better your riding experience. 

Seat Concepts makes complete seats, covers and foams for most makes and models. Check them out over on seatconcepts.com.   

GUTS Racing Firm Seat Foam And Gripper GR1 Seat Cover

If there is one area that the 2018-2019 Yamaha YZ250F/450F is lacking in, it would have to be the seat foam/seat cover area. Yamaha firmed up the seat foam for 2019, but to me it just wasn't enough for my skinny ass. If you have a Kardashian butt it might be ok, but for us skinnier riders we need a foam that doesn't sink into the fuel tank when slamming into corners. While I was searching for a firmer foam, I thought why not get a seat cover that has some ribs on it, in order to keep my but in place when coming out of corners as well! 

So I called up Andy over at GUTS Racing and he sent me their standard firm foam (not Phantom foam) and GR1 ribbed seat cover with extra padding sewn into the sides of the seat cover. Guts offers many different styles of covers and foam densities so make sure to check out gutsracing.com for all of their offerings. Swapping out seat foam isn’t that hard, it just takes patience and some trial and error to get the new cover on the seat. The foam shape is pretty much identical to the stock foam and went on the seat base without issue. The seat cover went on without much of a fuss either, but there might be a little extra material that you may have to trim once all of the staples are in.

So when you think of the words “hard” or “firm” you may think of uncomfortable right? Well in this case you would be wrong. The “firm” GUTS foam is just what the doctor ordered, especially when I am slamming into corners. The stock 2019 YZ450F foam is a little better (than the 2018 foam), but lacks density on the sides where my butt is forcing the foam down. With the GUTS firm foam the density is harder in the middle of the foam, but also on the sides of the foam where you need it (especially when riding aggressively). Your butt is not always placed directly in the middle of the seat when you're riding, so why just make the middle part of the foam firm? GUTS thought of this because all of us riders need to have a firm feel on each side of the foam as well. The GUTS Racing foam provides the correct amount of density so I am not pushing my tushy through the foam and into the plastic of the fuel cell. My butt bone thanks you GUTS Racing! 

The GR1 GUTS Ribbed Seat Cover is unique because of the extra padding that is sewn into the cover on each side. Since the Yamaha seat is designed so thin near the middle portion and on the sides, I felt like I could use a little extra padding when working the sides of the seat through flat corners. Not only did I feel like the extra foam on the sides helped me through flat corners with the slightly wider nature of the seat cover (due to the foam inserts), but it helped me grip the Yamaha better with my legs. Not to go full Ryno on you, but using your legs is crucial to going fast on a motorcycle. Gripping the machine with your legs is sometimes overlooked to an amateur rider, so with these extra foam inserts inputted into the seat cover, it really helps me grip the side of the Yamaha when I am getting tired. It may not be the most attractive looking cover (due to its width), but it sure does do what its supposed to do. The ribbed portion of the seat cover also keeps me in place, but the gripper material isn't so gnarly that it is chaffing my ass on long test days. Some gripper materials out there are so aggressive that you can only ride one full day on it before you have to have your wife rub chamois cream on your ass. 

If you own  2018-2019 Yamaha YZ250F/450F do yourself a favor and get a GUTS Racing firm seat foam and ribbed GR1 cover. Your ass can thank me later. The GUTS Racing standard height/firm seat foam will run you $89.90 and the ribbed GR1 seat cover with foam inserts on each side will cost you $149.90.