Jesse Ziegler | October 9, 2017
We Have a Quick Chat With Robert Lightfeldt From Seat Concepts at the 2017 KTM Adventure Rider Rally.
The 2017 KTM Adventure Rider Rally was held in Crested Butte, Colorado for the second time in three years. With nearly 500 attendees including a massive staff of KTM event planners, celebrity riders, world-class racers and helpful technicians, it was a popular destination, to say the least. On top of that, nearly 30 vendors from the Adventure Motorcycling industry showcased their latest adventure-motorcycle gear and services.
We had a quick chat with Seat Concepts’ Robert Lightfeldt inside their booth at the KTM Adventure Rider Rally to see why they made the trip, what kind of cool new stuff they have and what they think the KTM Adventure Rider Rally is all about.
Which Seat Concepts’ product is drawing the most interest from the attendees here at the KTM Rally?
Robert Lightfeldt: We have been doing a lot of KTM 1190 and 1090 Adventure R seats. The 1090 is a new model this year so we see a lot of those coming in with new buyers. Most of these customers are getting the one-piece R-style seat we manufacture for these bikes.
We’ve done a lot of standard-height seat customers in that market even though the bike can be tall for some riders. Jimmy Lewis, Mike Lafferty and other KTM riders/instructors here have been talking a lot about using proper technique to balance the bike with a normal seat on it, instead of relying on having feet-on-the-ground to get through technical terrain. And neither of them are particularly tall. So, people are finally seeing that riding technique and using these one-piece seats can help you ride better and be much more comfortable.
We also have a ton of interest in our new seat for the Husqvarna 701s. We have the factory-used material from Italy they use on the stock seats—so it has the exact color and texture as the stock seats, but we provide a Seat Concepts seat shape and new foam underneath it to really increase comfort. It’s nice to offer a seat that 100-percent match to a stock bike like this.
Why should riders consider attending the KTM Adventure Rider Rally?
Robert Lightfeldt: If you come to this event, you’re in an event that is focused on riding, training, schooling and going out on loop rides with professionals. It’s all about riding here. At other events like the BMW rally, they are more events to hang out at. Here, you’re with other riders to ride and you can pick your level of riding and go. You can even pick a pro you’ve seen on TV to ride with and be out there on the trail with them.CN
To learn more about Seat Concepts, visit www.seat-concepts.com