Acerbis X-Seat Black

Rating

9

What It Is

The Acerbis X-Seat is a complete seat assembly that is quite different than an OEM seat. Featuring no hard plastic seat base, the X-Seat features a waterproof inner foam body, surrounded by a plastic shell. The seat is 100 percent water resistant, features a grippy surface, and weighs only 1,450 grams.

Hits

The X-Seat looks a lot different than a stock seat, mostly because it has no seat cover, and there is no hard base beneath it all. The surface of the seat that your butt and legs come into contact with has an aggressive grip pattern that offers just the right amount of grip. Best of all, the grip stays consistent and stands the test of time, unlike aftermarket gripper covers that start out almost too tacky, then eventually grow as slippery as a stock cover. Speaking of aftermarket covers, most of them allow water to seep through and reach the seat foam when washing. In fact, the seat that we removed from our Honda CRF250R weighed a lot more than it did new because it was slightly waterlogged. The X-Seat cannot absorb water, thanks to its plastic shell. One of the strangest benefits the X-Seat yields (and one that we doubt Acerbis engineers planned on), is the ability to check on the condition of your bike's air filter, without completely removing the seat. All you have to do is pry up one side of the center of the seat to peer into your airbox. The seat fits perfectly onto the bike (and we mean perfectly), and the junction between the front of the seat and the radiatorshrouds is absolutely seamless. The X-Seat felt quite firm at first, but once we were on the track we forgot that we had it installed. It has maintained the same feeling beneath us throughout the two months we've been riding on it, and it has not gotten pillow-soft as we suspected that it might.

Misses

Naturally, the seat is not customizable, and if you prefer a rear hump or a small whoop in the center of the seat to help keep you forward, you're out of luck. At just under $200, the X-Seat is more expensive than other aftermarket options.

The Verdict

What's not to love about the Acerbis X-Seat? It's lighter than stock, fits perfectly, maintains its density, and offers good grip and styling.