Kawasaki Gel Seats

31226 Views 72 Replies 30 Participants Last post by MikSchultzy, Sep 30, 2015

NinjaRocket

Discussion Starter · Jun 4, 2014

Pulled the trigger on a set of the Kawasaki Gel Seats PN K530001-249 for the 2014 Ninja 1000. MSRP from Kawasaki is $324.95 for both seats. Found them on superbiketoystore.com for $263.95 shipped. Hopefully I will have them is a few days. The stock seat on this bike is an *** killer

Corbin wants over $300 alone for the front seat and over $200 for the rear seat. So I thought I would give these seats a try. Anything has to be more comfortable than the stock seat.

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4jranch

· #2 · Jun 4, 2014

The Sargent seat came on my bike when i purchased it, not so good. I hope the gel seats work for you. Give us a report...

Warprints

· #3 · Jun 4, 2014

Yeah, seat sucks. I'm thinking about going the gel route, but it is so hot here in south Louisiana, I'm worried that the gel seat in the sun (when the bike is sitting ... yeah, I know, just keep riding it) will get so hot I can't sit on it.

Mikey1000

· #4 · Jun 5, 2014

I also ride a Yamaha FZ1 & on that owners forum gel seats aren't recommended in sunny, hot areas. I tried a Yamaha gel seat & it was only marginally better than stock. Had good success with Sargent seats & will probably go that route for the N1K.

NinjaRocket

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 5, 2014

Ahhh the seat is sitting on top of a hot motor. What's the difference? When I get the seats I will give a full seasonal ride report. I live in an area with four seasons.

Warprints

· #6 · Jun 5, 2014

NinjaRocket said:
Ahhh the seat is sitting on top of a hot motor. What's the difference?

Really, lol.

The hot motor doesn't make the foam in the seat and seat cover hot -- at least never on any of the bikes I've owned. The sun makes them hot when the bike sits in the sun.

NinjaRocket

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 5, 2014

Warprints said:
Really, lol. The hot motor doesn't make the foam in the seat and seat cover hot -- at least never on any of the bikes I've owned. The sun makes them hot when the bike sits in the sun.

Not confused at all. Been riding some type of motorcycle with a wide range of seat types for the last 38 years. To include gel seats. Never had the problem or problems with any gel seat that I have had. Simple solution....Put your butt in the seat and ride. Carry a small light colored micro cloth towel, when you park in the sun, do what I used to do when I lived in Florida and had a car with vinyl seats, cover them up with the towel, so you don't burn your butt, did the same thing back in the day with the car steering wheel on Pensacola Beach!

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ydo

· #8 · Jun 7, 2014

NinjaRocket said:
Not confused at all...Simple solution...Put your butt in the seat and ride. Carry a small light colored micro cloth towel, when you park in the sun, do what I used to do when I lived in Florida and had a car with vinyl seats, cover them up with the towel, so you don't burn your butt, did the same thing back in the day with the car steering wheel on Pensacola Beach!

Agree. If the gel seat is comfortable the terry cloth solution in the sun is worth it. I have the Sargent and it doesn't solve the forward slide or is it completely comfortable either. It is better than the stock granted but I would like to hear from someone who has tried both (Sargent & Gel seat).

ydo

· #9 · Jun 7, 2014

4jranch said:
The Sargent seat came on my bike when i purchased it, not so good. I hope the gel seats work for you. Give us a report...

Agree. Many swear by it but it has issues too...forward slide and numb ***

after 50 miles or so. Better than stock but not there in my opinion.

Would love to hear from others who have something different than Sargent.

Airman

· #10 · Jun 9, 2014

ydo said:
Agree. Many swear by it but it has issues too...forward slide and numb *** after 50 miles or so. Better than stock but not there in my opinion.

Would love to hear from others who have something different than Sargent.

My seat is hard as an oak plank. I made a 100 mile circle around the area today and was moving around on it continually trying to get some relief.

One of the local Kawasaki guys has a line on a craftsman who can do a custom seat. I'm thinking of going that route. That is a good price for both seats though, I'd be interested to hear how it works.

cowasockee

· #11 · Jun 9, 2014

My seat is currently in the hands of one Seth Laam in California. Hopefully he can work some magic and make it good. I'll report back when I get my seat back.

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NinjaRocket

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jun 15, 2014

New gel seats arrived yesterday morning. The passenger seat adds a nice touch with the "Ninja" embossment. Going for a very long ride today to test them out.

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NinjaRocket

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jun 16, 2014

Rode about 275 miles yesterday on the new gel seat. I must say that I was actually impressed with the seat. Didn't have the pain in my tail bone that I was getting from the stock seats. Even after stopping and parking the bike in the direct sun light the seat felt the same. Not really sure where all this worry of parking the bike in the sun light is coming from. It's sounds like snake oil to me........

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ToNY97

· #14 · Jun 27, 2014

I saw the gel seats on Amazon for $270 shipped. It says that it has a carbon look and the embossed "Ninja" is a nice touch.

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being torture and 10 being so perfect that you don't notice, how would you rate the stock and the gel seat?

NinjaRocket

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jun 28, 2014

ToNY97 said:
I saw the gel seats on Amazon for $270 shipped. It says that it has a carbon look and the embossed "Ninja" is a nice touch.

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being torture and 10 being so perfect that you don't notice, how would you rate the stock and the gel seat?

Found mine on superbiketoystore.com for $263.95 shipped. The seats took about 10 day to arrive. They were shipped all the way from Kawasaki in California to south Florida and then all the way back to me in Indiana. Talk about a logistical nightmare. I would give the gel seat an 8.5 to 9. The stock seat gets a 3.0.

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ToNY97

· #16 · Jun 28, 2014

Thanx. Good website tip. Gel sounds like a game changer.

ToNY97

· #17 · Jun 28, 2014

Is 2014 seat different than predecessor?
I like lower price but they list it for 2014 abs.

Warprints

· #18 · Jun 30, 2014

Yes, they are slightly different. Apparently the tab location changed (or so I understand from other postings).

ToNY97

· #19 · Jul 9, 2014

I couldn't buy the gel seat from superbiketoystore.com because they offer the 2014 seat only.
Amazon had it for $270 which is the direction I was going to take and then I saw that they have a used one for $206. The listing was "Used-Good." I've bought used items on Amazon before but I always looked for "Used-Like New or Excellent." I figured with Amazon's solid return policy, the risk would be minimal.
Since the used option came with prime shipping, it arrived in 2 days.
Wow, it looks great...better condition than my stock seat. If that's listed as "Good", I wonder what "Like New" is. Couldn't ask for anything better.
Once I put some miles on the seat, I will give a report.

I happened to look at Amazon today and they have another used seat in Good condition for $202.
Amazon.com: Buying Choices: Kawasaki K53001-243 Gel Seat

Can't guarantee the same result but it's worth a try if you're looking for a replacement seat.

Reactions: 1

NinjaRocket

Discussion Starter · #20 · Jul 11, 2014

ToNY97 said:
I couldn't buy the gel seat from superbiketoystore.com because they offer the 2014 seat only.
Amazon had it for $270 which is the direction I was going to take and then I saw that they have a used one for $206. The listing was "Used-Good." I've bought used items on Amazon before but I always looked for "Used-Like New or Excellent." I figured with Amazon's solid return policy, the risk would be minimal.
Since the used option came with prime shipping, it arrived in 2 days.
Wow, it looks great...better condition than my stock seat. If that's listed as "Good", I wonder what "Like New" is. Couldn't ask for anything better.
Once I put some miles on the seat, I will give a report.

I happened to look at Amazon today and they have another used seat in Good condition for $202.
Amazon.com: Buying Choices: Kawasaki K53001-243 Gel Seat

Can't guarantee the same result but it's worth a try if you're looking for a replacement seat.

Sorry about that. I thought you had a 2014.

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