KTM 17-18 low seat questions / options

[womble9]

Hi all. 

So, I'm a short ass ?. Standard seat is a bit too high and I'm considering either replacing it or chopping the foam down / out.

My question is how much can I lower the standard seat by and would I perhaps just be better off grabbing either a powerparts low seat or the EE one that I've seen for sale, and if I do go for a new one are they both the same height or is one lower then the other / is there any real reason to perhaps go for one over the other?

Edited December 19, 2017 by womble9

[2strokes_rule]

I can't picture the 17-18 gaining much with a "low seat". There isn't much padding to reduce. I miss my 2015 seat....more comfortable do to thicker padding. I'm running an EE soft like I did on my last bike too.

Can a slice be taken out of the sub-frame and re-weld it? I'd look into that if I wasn't 6'1".

[womble9]

I must have a tough arse or something as I've never found a bike seat uncomfortable and even if i did I'd much rather suffer that than topple over from time to time due to not being able to get a foot down . As for the subframe chop well I guess it might well work but I'd be a bit too worried about the airbox / carb interfacing properly to try it myself unless I was given instructions / an assurance that it's fine by someone who's previously done it.   

[trailmeisterjoe]

Short guys ( like me) don't have room to complain about how soft a seat is or not because it is far more important to get the dern thing lower ( and stand most of the time while riding). So...get the factory low seat as it is pretty much as low as you could cut the stock one anyway. I did on my 17.

 

Joe

[U1arunit]

17 minutes ago, trailmeisterjoe said:

Short guys ( like me) don't have room to complain about how soft a seat is or not because it is far more important to get the dern thing lower ( and stand most of the time while riding). So...get the factory low seat as it is pretty much as low as you could cut the stock one anyway. I did on my 17.

 

Joe

+1 I did the factory low seat also. It's not cushy but I don't have a choice and it's an incentive to make me stand up more. 

[GRamg]

Ya short inseam, here as well. I'll most likely be going the Power Parts low seat route, and 

run a Devol lowering link.. The seat/link combo worked wonders on my Yammy FX...

[DEMI]

Run an Acerbis X-seat and you will have monkey butt... 

[womble9]

Cheers for the feedback guys ?.  From the replies I’ve had it’s looking pretty likely I’ll go for the PP seat though if anyone does show up with their thoughts on the EE one then they’d be good to hear as I read that the cover is waaaay better than the KTM one. As for getting the bike a bit lower still then I’m thinking of adding a fastway link protector too as it’s also rather rocky where I ride. 

Naturally if anyone’s got anything more to add then please do as I’m all ears ?. 

Edited December 19, 2017 by womble9

[DEMI]

how tall are you guys? Womble? Joe? Curious as I am 5'9 and get along ok... 

[womble9]

I’m about 5’6 (possibly pushing 5’7 in my Gaernes) but have a poor leg to ratio body too!! Don’t get me wrong, in some ways being small has helped and over the last few years as it’s meant that I’ve had no choice but to commit to sections / obstacles plenty of which I now tackle with ease whilst longer legged folks are slowly paddling through them (so so tiring). Problem is I’m now wanting to get into more technical riding and speed alone isn’t going to carry me though those sections where I need to be able to dab / plant a foot from time to time hence the search for a lighter and lower bike (currently on a WR250F) which is also capable of running XC events. 

 

[DEMI]

1 minute ago, womble9 said:

I’m about 5’6 (possibly pushing 5’7 in my Gaernes) but have a poor leg to ratio body too!! Don’t get me wrong, in some ways being small has helped and over the last few years as it’s meant that I’ve had no choice but to commit to sections / obstacles plenty of which I now tackle with ease whilst longer legged folks are slowly paddling through them (so so tiring). Problem is I’m now wanting to get into more technical riding and speed alone isn’t going to carry me though those sections where I need to be able to dab / plant a foot from time to time hence the search for a lighter and lower bike (currently on a WR250F) which is also capable of running XC events. 

 

Fair enough, I can see where the dabbing helps, but keeping mind the trials riders and feet on the pegs, etc. 

[PNW Enduro]

I shave the seat on all the bikes I own. On the 17/18 XC I think you could take up to an inch of foam off and still have a seat that is somewhat comfortable. From what I have seen the low seats are only 1/2" lower than stock. All you need is a decent staple gun, I paid around $40 CAD for mine at a hardware store, some 40-60 grit sandpaper and some 3M 77 spray adhesive or something similar.

Pull all the staples off the seat and peel the cover off. Then take a felt marker and mark the sides of the seat foam to the desired height. You can also add a bump at the back if you like or just keep it level like stock. Slowly sand the foam down, this takes a while because if you put too much force the foam starts to chunk off. Also it makes a mess, the sanded foam is very fine. Once you get it to the height you want put the seat on the bike and see how it feels, you will often want to round off the sides of the seat a little more. Once you are happy with the results spray some of the adhesive on the inside of the seat cover, this will keep the cover in place on the foam when putting it back together but it's still easy to take back off if an adjustment is needed. Start putting the new staples in while constantly pulling the cover tight and checking for air pockets on top of the seat. 

You will be surprised at how much difference even 1/2" will make in being able to get solid foot on the ground when needed. The next time I do a seat for someone I'll do a video on it but I'm not sure when that will be. 

[rpt50]

Here is another vote for the KTM PP low seat.  What shocked my is how much more comfortable is was than both my stock seat, and the EE soft seat I have on another bike.  

[trailmeisterjoe]

6 hours ago, DEMI said:

how tall are you guys? Womble? Joe? Curious as I am 5'9 and get along ok... 

5'6" so have to have really good throttle and brake control all the time. We get into some technical, gnarly stuff here in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. Even with the low seat it is tough to get leg down to dab here and there but have been doing this for decades so.....

Joe

Edited December 20, 2017 by trailmeisterjoe

[Brent72]

I have read several times that linkage bikes sit lower than PDS bikes.  However, looking at the 2017-18 specs, it appears both the XC and XCW both have the same 37.8" seat height.  Any explanation here?

I do understand that a linkage bike gives an additional option for lowering the bike with a lowering link, and this is now making me consider getting the Husky TE300 instead of the XCW.  I wouldn't mind the XC as well, but I want the factory lights to help get it plated.   For the guys with lowering links, I assume you also moved the forks in the clamps to lower the front as well.  Are you happy with the resulting handling with the lowered suspension?

[CrobarGreg]

Hi all. 
So, I'm a short ass [emoji4]. Standard seat is a bit too high and I'm considering either replacing it or chopping the foam down / out.
My question is how much can I lower the standard seat by and would I perhaps just be better off grabbing either a powerparts low seat or the EE one that I've seen for sale, and if I do go for a new one are they both the same height or is one lower then the other / is there any real reason to perhaps go for one over the other?

I have the ktm power parts low seat and love it.

[Orange150sx]

I have the low EE seat. I love it. It is soft, it is a little wider than the stock seat also. It was a good move for me.

[Bron-Yr-Aur]

5'3" here with 28" inseam. My 13 year old is taller than I am lol.

 

Another vote for just shaving the seat. That's what I did on my last 2. Oddly enough, even after shaving, my Kx250 2t (2005) was very comfy. My 200 XC seat (2009) on the other hand, well, I'll just say it's horrible comfort-wise. And after shaving? A plank. But... I stand more than 80% of the time. I consider it teaching me good riding technique [emoji4] I already stood anyways, though, so I don't mind it.

 

If you choose to shave, make sure you narrow the foam, too. The width of my seat still affects my ability to reach the ground. Since it's winter here, my next project this month will be to remove the cover and have another go at the width. I probably took over 1 1/2" out height-wise, and it helped tremendously. I've also lowered the bike (internally) a little over 2".

 

Before:

 

After:

 

 

[DEMI]

Do your ass bones hurt with that? Firm foam?

Edited December 21, 2017 by DEMI

[Finidi]

I also shaved the foam out of the factory seat. Lots of videos on how to do this in YouTube. Really made a difference (as I now  reach with my tip toes), but I am still thinking of also buying the lowering kit to get an additional 50mm reduction. 

Really uncomfortable to have to slide off the seat every time you stop in technical terrain...!