A good seat on your Surron is the difference between a pain in the a*** and a great day out! Literally! The stock seats are less than ideal, except they do teach you to stand on the pegs often in an attempt to stop the bruises on your buttocks.
I can’t really single out just Surron, or just the LBX, or even any e-moto for that matter. MX dirtbikes aren’t exactly known for their lounge-chair-like creature comforts. I wouldn’t want to do long distances sitting on my YZ. Ouch!
But there are companies out there that make much nicer seats than stock. The question is, do you want a brand new seat that has extra padding, a new cover that gives more grip, or even a completely different design that allows you to shift your body weight up and over the battery?
Let’s work out what is best for your rear end… and what would allow you to ride all day long, and be able to walk normally the next day!
What is the difference between a new seat, a seat cover, or a seat riser?
Before we get started on what is best for you, we need to work out the different options:
- New seat: A completely new seat, including the structure, foam, and cover.
- Seat cover: The material that goes over the foam. It is usually neatly stapled in place.
- Seat riser: Part of the subframe that is extended to give the seat extra height. Depending on the manufacturer, seat risers usually fit with stock or aftermarket seats.
If it’s simply extra grip you’re after, a new seat cover may be all you need.
Just a seat riser might fix it
A completely new seat means you can add extra cushioning, and usually slightly more height due to the extra cushioning. However, a simple alternative is a seat riser. It can take away the ‘toy’ feeling of the Surron LBX and bring your body up to a taller height using your stock seat. You can add an upgraded seat later if you find you still need to make more changes to your ergos.
We find this is often the cost-effective way to go about making changes, as many people end up simply raising the seat up using risers, or worst-case, they do both risers and a different seat.
Read more about seat risers here
Why upgrade the stock Surron LBX seat?
Upgrading your Surron seat is one of the first mods that most riders make. It will give you extra padding, make riding more comfy, and as a by-product, will also raise the seat slightly. Extra padding = extra height.
If you’re a wheelie master, or on the road to becoming a wheelie master, you may find that the stock seat has you slipping down. Seat covers, such as the popular ones from Guts, are made from Gripper material, along with extra ribbing to keep your butt firmly planted. Wheelies can happen with much more ease.
The other reason why some riders change their seat, is they find an uncomfortable section between a larger-than-stock battery and the stock seat. I’m a girl, so I can only guess that can’t be good for the guys… Aftermarket seats have a different design, and some even cover the top of the battery for a more MX style. That stops the gap that can get anything caught, while allowing you to bring your body weight forward, gaining more control.
Choosing the right seat
What seat is right for you? Do you like your seats firm or squishy? The style of the seat also changes between brands. Some are wider than others. If you’re from a dirtbike background, you’ll have an understanding of what the shape will do to comfort levels, but if you’re new to bikes in general, here’s why:
If the seat is wider, you’ll find it harder to grip the e-moto. This will make control more difficult and will negatively affect your riding. Didn’t think a seat could be a performance upgrade, did you?
Materials
Most seat covers are made from grippy material. Guts even calls their signature material Gripper!
It depends both on where you want to ride and the look you’re going for. I personally like the grippier material, but I ride mainly on dirt. If you’re commuting it’s less critical, but still something to consider.
Then there’s leather or pleather (vegan leather) depending on your personal choices. Some brands even have vegan gator leather! On a more serious note, when choosing your material, go for something that offers more grip than not.
Padding
Under the material is the padding, or foam. Different brands have different plush-ness and use different types of foam.
If you’re only going the cover, you’ll be covering up whatever padding you currently have on your seat. However, if you’re going for full seat replacement, check to see what type of foam is included.
Another option is to get a new cover and look at replacing just the foam on your current seat base. It is possible to just buy the foam for your seat. However, depending on how crafty you are, head to a local craft or upholstery shop (or anyplace that sells different density foam) and, using some scissors, you can shape your own foam seat. I’m letting you know about this option, but it’s not something I’m keen on doing, although I have friends who have done this and they’ve been able to truly customize their seat.
Compatibility
Like all mods, check to see if everything is compatible. When selecting your seat, be sure to choose the seat for your model, and even the correct year LBX if you have the option. If you have already upgraded your seat or subframe, or perhaps you’ve brought a secondhand e-moto, check to see if your seat upgrade will be compatible with what you already have.
This is particularly important if you’re going for just a seat cover and already have an aftermarket seat. Different brands have different thicknesses and designs. If you’re not sure, always check before buying. If you’re on our website, we’re here to help.
How to install a new seat on your Surron LBX
This guide will be for replacing the complete seat, and also just the cover. Skip to the section that suits you. This list isn’t exhaustive, and different mods before changing the seat will change these instructions, but you’ll get a rough idea.
Tools needed
- Small flathead screwdriver, 12mm spanner
- If you’re replacing the seat cover: Staple gun and a small sharp knife or scissors
Step-by-step:
- Remove 8 rivets by carefully popping them out and removing the plug (3 on each side, and 2 under the seat, for a total of 8). Use a thin flat screwdriver to get under the plug to carefully pry them out.
- Take the plastic cover off.
- Remove 4 x 12mm bolts.
- Remove any rear fender you have.
- Take off the seat.
If you’re going to replace the cover:
Here is a great video on replacing the cover:
- Use a small screwdriver to remove all the original staples.
- NOTE: Take your time with this part! Next, you’ll need to stretch the new cover over the exposed foam.
- Line up the rear of the cover, then add one staple in the underside of the seat to hold the cover in place.
- Line up the front of the cover, then also staple that on the underside.
- Roll down the side edges, and put one staple on each side to hold in place.
- Then work on opposite sides to evenly staple the cover on the seat. Keep checking the cover to ensure it isn’t getting bunched up as you go.
- Once you’re happy with the cover, trim the edges on the underside to keep the fabric away from clips.
Now to replace the new seat or re-covered seat:
- Get your new seat, or re-covered seat and replace the fender if needed.
- Tighten the bolts under the seat.
- Replace the plastic cover.
- Put in the 8 rivets you removed earlier.
If you would like to see a good video on someone replacing the seat, check out this video:
If you’re replacing your seat with an MX-style or over-battery seat, this video explains:
For reference, we don’t sell these at GritShift, but I wanted to show you some of the alternatives when you’re choosing your seat. Most of us here use Guts seats on our own bikes as they are both comfy and durable – which we need!!
Maintenance and Care
I’ve needed to change a few seat covers on my bikes after they’ve departed from me and found some trees on the side of the track… long story… Put it this way, it doesn’t matter how durable the cover is, it’s no match for sharp pointy sticks and rocks at high speeds!
If the foam is salvageable, it’s a simple replace-the-cover job. It’s also a nice easy way to freshen up your color scheme.
Care for your seat should be similar to the rest of your Surron. Soapy water, a clean soft sponge, and a bit of attention.
Don’t forget, when washing your Surron, take care not to spray any water into any of the internal sections (remember it’s an electric e-moto!).
Some fabrics are easier to keep looking nicer than others, typically the lighter color materials will be harder to keep bright. It also depends on your riding gear. If you’re riding in jeans, don’t expect the white to stay white!
Different Surron Seats
The first step is deciding what type of seat you’re going to upgrade to.
- Are you looking at replacing the cover for something more grippy and in tune with your color scheme, or are you looking for something with softer padding and a different style?
- If it’s a different style, do you want a similar size seat but added cushioning or a longer or wider seat?
From there, you can narrow down your choices of brands. They are all at a similar price, but be aware of the very cheap options. Do your research and shop from reputable companies.
Shameless plug incoming! To make it easier for you, here is the link to our shop. 🙂 Seriously though, we’re all just bike riders and only sell the stuff that we would put on our own e-motos. On that note, most of us have Guts seats on our personal e-motos and dirtbikes. They just work!
If you’d like to check them out, head to www.gritshift.com to see if a Guts seat will be the next addition to your Surron. And if you want to see the Guts seats in action, check out our Instagram page here.
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