deCorbinizing my new Corbin V11 LeMans seat

[ratguzzi]

I was sort of forewarned against buying a Corbin seat but thought I would give it a shot. The order form has you put in your height, weight, etc but I really don't think they even care about the information. My seat arrived and wouldn't fit on the bike. I couldn't get the latch to latch. I called Corbin and they told me I needed to trim the rubber bumpers down myself on my brand new expensive seat. I asked if I could return it and was told they have no return policy. You are stuck with it. I trimmed down the bumpers and got it to fit correctly. I took it for a ride and it was like it was designed for someone at least a foot taller than me. In order to reach the handlebars, I had to sit on a huge lump which felt like it could sterilize me if I rode any distance.
So since Jon Revilla, http://theseatguyjon.com did such a great job on my 1975 850T seat I had him "fix" my brand new Corbin.
I tried it out on my work trip to Meadville, PA, 520 miles and it was amazing on how much better it was. Jon knows exactly where to carve and replace.
I just wished I would have thought of having him add Calvin peeing over the Corbin logo that's on the seat........
Great job.
JB

[Groover]

I had an issue with a Corbin solo seat I had made years back when I had a fat boy. It had a huge gap between the seat and the tank, and another huge gap between the seat and the fender. You'd think they would've had the softail mold down to perfection being that's what they do most (Harley seats) - I sent it back and they fixed it for me. Turned out nice, but it was expensive, and a lot of time went by by the time it was finally right. This was around 2004-2005, maybe they were more about customer service then. Not sure, I think the company was up for sale about a year ago so maybe new owners?

[rocker59]

The Corbin seat for V11s was made for the early 2000/2001 bikes.

There was a small change to the seat latch by Guzzi (in 2002, I think), which makes modifying the rubber bumpers necessary when using the Corbin seat on late V11 bikes.

It's a problem that was discussed at length here and on V11lemans.com back at the time.

[tpeever]

I've had Corbin seats on a '96 Triumph Thunderbird, '74 Norton Commando and '08 Guzzi 1200 Sport and they have all fit the bikes perfectly and fit me perfectly. Workmanship was not as good as I would have liked on the Commando seat purchased about 5 years ago but was really nice on the 1200 Sport seat purchased last year. See below. Corbins are too firm for some people and do add significantly to the overall seat height due to the dishing out at the sides (great side support) but all the seats have really worked for me at 6'1" and 215 lbs. For the Sport, I did consider a custom-made seat as the stock seat was truly awful, but that would have cost me twice as much as the Corbin. Have done several 400 mile days on the Sport with the Corbin now and it works very well.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

I have that COrbin Canyon seat on my Breva, it is quite comfy,passenger loves it, but damn it's low.  Called Corbin about raising it 1.5" and the cost was obscene. I bought it for $270 used, it has been worth it, but I will take sore knees over a raising & recover.

[Don G]

I have a Corbin that came with a second hand Norge, I tried it and hated it, put the stock seat on and tried it, I found the Corbin to be better, so I put it on and got used to it. I use the Corbin on my 1200 Sport and also on my 1100 Breva, one seat covers 3 bikes.  DonG

[tpeever]

I have that COrbin Canyon seat on my Breva, it is quite comfy,passenger loves it, but damn it's low.  Called Corbin about raising it 1.5" and the cost was obscene. I bought it for $270 used, it has been worth it, but I will take sore knees over a raising & recover.

lower pegs?

[LowRyter]

some say it takes a few hundred miles for a Corbin to break in as they are extremely hard.

The issue I had with them on a Suzuki Bandit, the seat bucket was set rearward like it was meant for a cruiser.  The Bandit is more sport touring style and the Corbin made you reach forward and bend further to grab the bars.  The owner (aka Devilman) got used to it and liked it. 

[tpeever]

some say it takes a few hundred miles for a Corbin to break in as they are extremely hard.

Yes, they can take quite a while to form to your butt. I think a lot of the impressions of Corbins as too hard are related to rider weight. I would not characterize Corbins as "hard" but would characterize them as "firm" and about the correct firmness for my 215 lbs. The stock seat on the 1200 Sport was made for a 175 lb or less rider. Foam was way to soft, aspect was to far forward (squeezed my nuts against the fuel tank) and and had zero side support. Very uncomfortable!

The issue I had with them on a Suzuki Bandit, the seat bucket was set rearward like it was meant for a cruiser.  The Bandit is more sport touring style and the Corbin made you reach forward and bend further to grab the bars.  The owner (aka Devilman) got used to it and liked it.

Corbins do move you back on the bike making the reach to the bars greater which could be a consideration for some riders. That, and the fact that the seat effectively subtracts an inch or so from your inseam are definitely factors to consider. If you are barely able to touch ground with the stock seat, you won't reach if you install a Corbin.

[KJ Knowles]

I had to modify my Corbin to make it fit on my 2002, also.  I find it a big improvement over the stock saddle, but seating preference is a huge variable from one person to another, so I'm not surprised at all that your experience was different.  I do think for the price, that the seat/bike gap could have been a bit more consistent.

[ITSec]

I put over 100,000 miles on a Corbin on my DL1000, and liked it a lot after I broke it in. It did have a slightly wider tongue than the stock seat, which made it feel taller when at a stop, but otherwise I liked the shape.

One thing to remember about Corbin is that they are one of the few makers (along with Sargent and Mustang) who make their own seat pans. That does lead to some fitment issues compared to seat makers who use the factory pan and work from there.

All that being said, I like Corbins - but I like my Norge's Russell DayLong much better, and will go back to them for any future saddle.

[rudolf35]

I have a 07 Breva 1100 and the stock seat was "shop worn". Having used Corbin seats on most my bikes, it was a knee jerk reaction to order from Corbin.

I placed a order for a Canyon seat for the Breva; gave all the information to the actually friendly order taker. I was informed it will take 6 to 8 weeks and I could live with that. Well what I got delivered was far from what I was accustomed to from Corbin; matter of fact I could do and did do better. The seat looked new but the covering on the front portion looked like it was never tight. The seams looked like I attempted to sew them and there where huge divots in the vertical portion and the front.

Needless to say, pictures and a gripe letter went to Corbin. I received a not from the person taking the order requesting the images be forwarded to a text number so he can show them to the production manager. Now we shall see how Corbin lives up to their reputation.

Question now is was the order a knee jerk reaction or a jerk reacting - time will tell.

 

PS- Corbin did honor their warranty; sent me a RMA and will have FedEx pick it up.

[mjptexas]

A couple of shots of the Corbin on my Cali Custom:





On my first ride I thought, 'My God! What have I done?'.  It was hard, the width changed my stance when I stopped, I was miserable.  400 miles later I swear by it, so much that I ordered one for my Ducati.

[kingoffleece]

I deal with custom seat owners all day.  It;s my business. Of all the aftermarket seats Corbin is the most polarizing by a country mile.
As for the break in thing they suggest-it's closed cell foam and you're literately breaking it down with your body weight.
There's better ways.

[Rox]

On my Guzzi I merely had my seat reshaped and reupholstered. Made a world of difference and 1/3 the cost.
    My touring bike I considered the same treatment but after some research from many seasoned riders I decided to keep the stock seat and adding a form fitting sheepskin sherpa cover. Might seem silly but those things work..

[oranges3]

I had one made for my 2004 v11 café sport...
fit perfect out of the box...
feels great!!

bought one for the diavel also...
no issues.

[drlapo]

I've had 2 Corbin seats
I tried one on a Triumph T140 and did not like it.  The scooped out portion for your butt was suitable only for a sit up and beg riding posture.  I sold it on and the next owner also immediately sold it.
Just no "made" for that bike
I have one on my BMW R80 and like it very much.  I talked to the people at Corbin and told them what I wanted and they made the seat to my specs= no scooped out butt cradle