Corbin saddle question

[michael Tobias]

I have seen a couple of the Corbin saddles for sale for our bikes but have missed them both. I am wondering about why they were sold...i.e. did they not fit the bike well or did the rider not like them.

I am in need of a bit more room to push away from the tank....I could also probably manage to loose some weight but that will take longer ;>). most all of the other saddles I have seen including mine tend to keep me closer to the tank than I like.

the Corbin looks "flatter" and like I could actually maintain position further back rather than being pushed forward.

any input will be appreciated ...other than diet specifics ;>)

[Don C]

The biggest complaint seems to be the height. The seat in standard form is taller than it looks in the pictures, the rear portion is about an inch higher than the BMW seats, the front part is somwhere between the tall and regular BMW seats.

[lewellen]

the Corbin looks "flatter" and like I could actually maintain position further back rather than being pushed forward.

This is correct. In fact, the last time I put the stock saddle back on I was distinctly uncomfortable due to the lack of ability to move around.

The biggest complaint seems to be the height. The seat in standard form is taller than it looks in the pictures, the rear portion is about an inch higher than the BMW seats, the front part is somwhere between the tall and regular BMW seats.

Not that I distrust Don, but I'm not sure about this. Mine is certainly wider than stock. I can flat-foot the ground with the stock seat; with the Corbin I can also but I'm stretching. My perception is that this is because my legs have to spread wider out due to the wider seat pan, not because of any actual height difference ... or at least not enough to account for the difference in feel.

One thing about the Corbins ... I'm lucky to live close enough to Hollister that I could do a ride-in for the seat build, so I got to put some miles on before they covered up the foam. That let those last few small-but-important adjustments that can change the fit from so-so to very good. There were also some issues about getting the seat to lock down on the bike ... apparently the Corbin-supplied catch bar doesn't work perfectly with all R1200R clamps. It took the guy about as long to get that adjusted properly as it did to cover the seat, actually.

All that said ... if I had it to do over again, would I still get the Corbin? Yes, probably. But I'd also still think seriously about a Sargent refoam / recover. The one Sargent seat I had (on a '93 KLR650) was the best moto seat I've ever been on, period.

Good roads,

- Lewellen

[dirty red]

I purchased a seat from Corbin for my R12R, used it one time and sold it. Poor workmanship, way overpriced, feels like there is a 50lb gold bar in there. Throws off center of balance and the weight moves the bike.

Spoke with some A-hole for about 20 minutes about how it was going to be a custom fit. Might as well been talking to the commode. What you see is what you get, no special orders. They will never get any more of my money.

Dereck

[BigEasy]

I sold mine for a couple of reasons 1 I bought it mostly for my wife because she hates riding pillon on the stock seat, and I didn't get a resounding review out of her re the Corbin. For me it was a comfortable seat allowing plenty of room to move around fore and aft, and was much wider and flatter than the stock seat and did not push me forward the way the stock seat does, but I was not overwhelmingly impressed with it. I'll hve to agree with lewellen, the seat is wider and cuses you legs to splay out when you put your feet down. I bought mine used from another member of "average" height, for me at 6'4" with a 35" inseam it was a non issue to flat foot the bike but I could tell a difference.

2 I did not like the fit of the seat on the bike. The PO had already remidied the latch issue but the front of the seat pan griped the tank very tightly and the transition seam from the leather outer seat cover to the suede inner cover caused me worries that the vibration from the tank combined with the exceedingly tight fit would abraid the paint on the tank (anal retentive vehicle care tendancies, I know I have issues thanks ). I am aware that Corbin has made some modifications to the seat pan construction to make this go away, but I didn't know if my used unit was a first or second generation pan so I'm no help there.

I thought when I sold the Corbin I could just keep the stocker but after 500 miles last weekend I'm shopping for a Mayer rebuild. Haven't decided on a Rick or Bill seat. But that is fodder for another thread.

[michael Tobias]

Thanks. all of you for your input! I appreciate it. now to decide what to do....