to cobin or not to corbin

[kemorobbie]

Thanks to all!!!!  Wow.  Lot to take in.
  Im riding a custom with touring bars.
  Also im a bit of a mixed bag of broken parts so lots going on,  bad shoulders which is why the bar change, new bar is perfect.  no more shoulder pain or wrist pain( also very bad left wrist). 
 Now on to the seat issue..... I like the corbin look and i think firm might best but i really want a back rest due to some herniations in my lower back.  so there we have it.  now all i have to do is decide....... 

  will update all as soon as i pull the trigger 1 way or the other.  Thanks again to all

[lucian]

as promised a few pics, the first one is the gel touring which I'd like to sell if anyone is interested.also the corbin does have a receiver for a pilot back rest. Good luck on your quest.

[mjptexas]

Thanks to all!!!!  Wow.  Lot to take in.
  Im riding a custom with touring bars.
 ..... I like the corbin look and i think firm might best but i really want a back rest due to some herniations in my lower back.  so there we have it.  now all i have to do is decide....... 

Corbin does offer a removable rider backrest.  Check their website.

[drbone641]

Curious, has anyone else had a seat modified by Spencer? Seems a fairly wise risk vs $600 plus. I know the Corbins look good, but hard and my coccyx don't get along. This is a thread resurrection as I knew if I posted a question about seats, I would, at some time, be referred to previous discussions  Ihave to change my seat for the sake of my tailbone, so I am learning.

[Kev m]

Curious, has anyone else had a seat modified by Spencer? Seems a fairly wise risk vs $600 plus. I know the Corbins look good, but hard and my coccyx don't get along. This is a thread resurrection as I knew if I posted a question about seats, I would, at some time, be referred to previous discussions  Ihave to change my seat for the sake of my tailbone, so I am learning.

Have you given a Corbin a chance to break in?

Back in the 90's I bought my first Corbin and called them up angry after my first 100 or so miles since it was a torture rack.

They said to give the closed cell foam time to break-in to my butt, as much as 2k miles.

It was work, but I did it... Then holy crap.

It always felt firm, but it completely eliminated any pressure points.

I sat on that seat for 7-8 500+ mile days in a row and wanted desperately to get on it again the next day.

The only seat I've ever had that rivaled it is my current RK police seat. Nothing else ever came close.

[timonbik]

 Corbin 's are firm.  Have one on my Honda NT700v and absolutely love it but on their forum most riders didn't like them.  For me it took away the dreaded tailbone pain that I was incurring.  Like a bicycle seat, softer is not always better.  You want your sitz bones firmly planted on the seat.  Mushy soft seats just allow the squishy stuff to put pressure where it shouldn't.

Tim

[Kev m]

Well in theory you can achieve good, no pressure point, support in a soft or "mushy" seat, but it's a crap shoot.

Too soft and the high spots push through to the hard base and you have pressure.

Too hard and the high spots take too much pressure.

[Ncdan]

Save yourself a lot of time and money by simply having your seat rebuilt by a professional. I used MEAN STREET CYCLE in Maiden NC. For 140 bucks he has rebuilt two  saddles for me, driver only, so I can attest for the quality of the material and overall improvement over factory. He has built literally thousands of seats and uses the material for your weight, close cell foam. You can request the firmness you want and can change the ridding position somewhat. One just has to remember the original cover must go back on.

[blu guzz]

great discussion.  my first Corbin was on a 92 HD Sportster 1200.  The stock seat was stylish but agonizing.  This was before Corbin got ridiculous with their prices and was only $120 for one piece front and rear.  Loved it, maybe the best I have had.  Next up was an 84 BMW R100RS that came with a stock seat, solo seat and Corbin.  The solo seat was my favorite, but the Corbin was good two up but was so dished that leaning to the bars was difficult.  As I stated, i did not get it new.  Stock seat awful, probably broken down by the time I got the bike in 97.  Next seat was for a 97 BMW R1100RS.  A Corbin called a gunfighter.  Stock BMW seats never worked for me.  This Corbin was also great, mostly because the shape just worked well with the height/lean angle, firm, but great.  Next was a 2004R1150Rt.  Stock "comfort" seat was comfortable for about 20 min. compared the the 10 min. on the original.  I tried a Corbin on loan, no good, a Sargent, same result and ended up with a Cee Bailey custom that was good, but not great.  One problem with that bike was that it was configured so that from the back of the tank to the back of the seat was so short that you had only one seating option and it would have needed to have been perfect.  Next was a 2003 BMW K1200RS with the best stock seat of any BMW I owned, but still not perfect.  I met Rick Mayer at a rally, got on his list and told him all I needed was 1 inch higher and 1 inch wider for my fat butt and that is what he delivered, great seat.  My Guzzi, Cali 1400 Custom.  I bought the touring seat and so far have liked it a lot.  I push my back end into the step and lean to the bars keeping the weight directly off of the spine the same as when you property sit on a horse.  This distributes the weight and shocks to the thighs.  I have not gone over 300 miles in a day yet, but waiting for next season to really know.
Good luck to all with their seats.

Caio

Blu

[drbone641]

The long days in the saddle are my reason for the research. Have a ride scheduled for May that will be 8k+, so I know my few 400 mile days so far, are but a small taste and they left me hurting. Rode a Corbin on a Blackbird and hated it. Just too hard and I hear the 'let it learn your butt' cries, but it's not for me. Stock seat is too soft. I think I like the info on the Spencer Seats page  http://www.greatdaytoride.com/home.html and I'm going to call them about doing a rebuild. Little bit wider if possible, firmer foam on the thighs to keep weight off my tailbone and maybe a bit more backstep firmness. I really like the looks of the stock black/white seat. The Corbin is gorgeous btw

[drbone641]

Spencer Seats, declined the opportunity to mod my seat. Owner said there just wasn't enough demand for Guzzis to do a seat he had never done before. Next!

[normzone]

I have a Russell Day-Long on my Bassa. It was made for a smaller previous owner and it's technically too small for me - I tend to come off the back of it a little bit when leaving a stop light - and I love the seat. If it didn't have one already I would have done one by now. Someday when I run out of other things to spend money on I'll get another.

Everytime I see the title to this thread I think this must be a Nirvana thread.

[kingoffleece]

You can never go wrong with a Bill Mayer Saddle.
I help sponsor a competitor in the IBA Rally, which is approx. 11,000 miles in 10 days or so.  A grueling test of man, machine, and equipment.

This rider used a BMS saddle protected by a King of Fleece SplitWeight(tm) waterproof seat cover.  There you have it.

I cover seats for plenty of IBA challenge riders.  I see Russell, BMS, and, to a lesser extent, Corbin over and over again on the purchase orders.

[Arizona Wayne]

The Buttsore model 

 Before spending hundreds of bucks , try an airhawk .

 Dusty

I agree, Dusty, except when I get an Airhawk it does raise my seat higher than it was and that can bother me some. 

[Tkelly]

Try a bead seat If you dont like it youre out $40.I HAVE PUT A LOT OF MILES ON MINE.

[Waltr]

When I sit on a Russel seat, it feels like I'm sitting on someone's lap.

As long as that someone is not Kevin Spacey your good to go,

[Kev m]

As long as that someone is not Kevin Spacey your good to go,

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