Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Accessories CORBIN SEAT YEAH I BOUGHT ONE

OK CALL ME CRAZY I BOUGHT A CORBIN SEAT I WAS TIRED OF THE STOCK SEAT AND WANTED SOMETHING COMFORTABLE TO RIDE AND THIS AIN'T IT THIS THING SIT'S LIKE A ROCK I RODE 250 MILES ON IT YESTERDAY AND IT SUCKED

you can send it back and they will repad it for free, just have to pay shipping

Frank

Never had one myself, but people say they come that way and it takes some miles in the saddle before they break in. I've sat on a couple of them on other bikes and they feel like planks to me.

Btw, typing in all caps is considered shouting and rude. But then if I paid that much for a seat and didn't like it, I guess I'd be shouting too.

sorry about the caps did't know i had them on was't paying attention

I hope you're not the one that out-bid me for the one on Ebay (with passenger pillion). If so... I HATE YOU!!!

lol, just kidding. I really wanted the one in the above link, and even though it is a great deal for that set, I just couldn't justify the cost at this point in time. My absolute limit I told myself was $350 (which is what it went for) and as I watched the auction end last night, I was really tempted to go a little higher, but somehow restrained myself.

Anyway, congrats on the new purchase. I want to try one out one of these days.

Give it some time. Mine sat like a rock at first too. I've got about 1,000 miles on her now and I LOVE IT. Take it out into the hot sun. Have lunch and let her bake for a while, then hop on for a ride.

Can't please everyone, but give her some more miles and then decide. I know it's tough when you drop that kind of coin on a new "comfort" item and it ain't comfortable, but it get's there and dang I love mine.

I just did the first 80 miles on my new BA , and was a bit disapointed with the saddle.(never had a cruiser before had a Yamaha TDM850 Sports tourer-ish)

I think it is becuse the base of the spine takes all the weight due to the feet forward riding position whereas on the TDM (very comfortable), a lot of the weight is taken on the thighs and 'cheeks'.

Still, it gives one a good excuse to stop regularly for breaks and that can't be a bad thing from a safety angle. It also gives you the opportunity to meet other bikers and take in the views.

It's a pity we can't take a seat for a 100mile test ride before we buy.

Same here as far as the Corbin goes, everyone I talked to loved them but mine was horrible, it felt great the first 10 miles of each ride but it just got worse the father you go. We did a 250 mile trip once and it nearly killed me. Most uncomfortable something I've ever tried to sit on.
I've got it sent back now for a rework and if that doesn't help then I suppose they'll be another one for sale soon. Great quality seat, I guess they just don't fit my butt.

Thanks to all for this thread. I was considering the Corbin, but now I'm gonna wait. After 4,500 miles I think my stock seat is finally breaking in(or maybe my but). I think what was more important was changing to the floorboards, and the tall risers w/SM bars. I also have the Bella Corse crash bars w/highway pegs. This set-up allows me a variety of different rideing positions. Being able to move around a little really cuts down on fatigue.
Also, the throttle rocker has been unbelievable for my endurance.

Uncle Charlie

The TBA seat is reall easy to shave. Get some good memory foam. Unstaple the seat and use a serated long knife. Cut it down in the center tapering to the nose leaving the back section rigid with the original foam. Take about 2.5 inches out of it. Smooth it with a broad file. Put back about 1.5 inches of memory foam spray glue that onto the existing after you have cut it to fit. Restaple the cover and put it back on the bike. You will feel like you are sitting on a recliner. You will also be sitting about an inch lower.

thanks i will give it some time plan on going on another ride in a couple of days 200 miles or maybe more will see if it gets better hope so layed out a lotta cash for this seat

Folks just don't listen!?! RICK MAYER can build you a perfect seat. You must be patient, but it's worth the wait and about $600 (front and rear - solo much less).
Great winter mod!!!

Corbin's have to be broken in to conform to your a$$. They are NOT automatically comfortable.

Give it several hundred miles, & you'll change your mind.

Make sure you use Mink oil, saddle soap, or some kind of saddle protection to help keep the leather soft and protected. Keeping the leather soft will also help keep your butt feeling better.

I bought mine about four months ago, no regrets, i find it very comfortable..

Took almost 1,000 miles for mine to feel better. I can't imagine not having it now. The stock gunfighter on my Speedy was like sitting on a bag of rocks. The thing that helps the most is the backrest. That thing is awesome. No lower back pain, no matter how long I ride.

Quote:

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Take it out into the hot sun. Have lunch and let her bake for a while,

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Just got back from a 2000 mile trek thru the Ozarks and I am around 3000 miles on the Corbin. Yesterday, in southern Missouri, the bank thermometer said 108 degress. The Corbin was HOT.

The Corbin is every bit as uncomfortable as the day I bolted the rock onto the bike. Five days of intense riding and 5 days of butt burn. I am ok for about a half hour or so and then it's all about shifting the weight around.....maybe I need to diet? 6'-0", 200#, or should I bulk up and get a bit more cushion?

Like unclecharlie, I have the Bellacorse bars with highway pegs and switchblades for the main pegs so I have LOTS of riding options - also put the progressive 412's on thinking that would help....still got the butt burn.......

I would like to here from the folks that sent the Corbin back for re-stuffing - did it help?? If yes, why don't they ship that way to start with?

Interesting. I have had a few extended rides (i.e. 1600 miles / 4 days) on my Corbin and just get off and feel great when the ride is over. Couldn't imagine doing that on the original.

The seat gets hot when the bike is parked but nothing compared to vinyl seats.

HOWEVER, I would not buy a Corbin at the new rates $$$$. WOuld definitely consider the Rick Mayer (even though they are WEIRD looking) or follow the cut-down advice above.

thanks for the info chy will be looking for your next post. if it helps yours i will be senting mine in for a repadding wish mustang made a seat for our bikes they fill great not so hard as the corbin

Loco, mine was exactly like you described, I did send the seat back, and it did help quite a bit, but still not as much as I would have liked. The seat is definitely better than when I bought it, but it still feels rather firm after a day of riding. It's an improvement, but I'm looking at getting one of those sheepskin covers to maybe give me more range. Also, those mid-mount peg mounts would probably help out quite a bit as well.

Hi Keith,

I've got a Corbin too and it maybe because of the one I chose (DT Stitch) but it's as comfortable as I could ever wish for. Everyone who's seen it or sat it has also commented on the comfort. I know that Pat sent his back for recovering and perhaps he will weigh in here....

I know that several Corbins I've seen are just as you say, hard as a rock and others are not (wojo's comes to mind here).

I hope you get yours sorted

i will probably give my seat another month or so. i would like to finish rideing this summer and do it this winter and do the big bore. i wish i could get some info on the british customs 994 big bore i really like the thougth of ba 1000

I think Phil has nailed the issue. The DT Stitching seats seem to be the most comfortable of the Corbin seats. Mine was a standard leather seat, like Jaymo, chy and many others. Hard as a brick, a pretty leather covered brick, but a serious butt burner none the less.
I did send mine back to get redone, and it came back minimally better. The seat has about ½" of padding which is highly compressed when the assemble it. The DT stitched seats, appear to have about 2" of soft, uncompressed foam in them.
Now, with all that said, I sold my Corbin/pillion/backrest to Matt, he loves if. I had my friend reupholster my stock SM seat with better foam and ostrich leather. Tons more comfortable, but also pretty expensive. I guess ostri are tough to catch.
Now, I also use Jane's Airhawk seat which is unbelievably comfrotable. I could have saved a ton of money if I just bought one of these first. Read Mortorcycle Cruiser's Review of motorcycle comfort pads and you will also see that the AirHawk is indeed, the Cadillac of butt pads.

I've heard of some guys wearing padded spandex bicycle shorts under their jeans and getting some relief, but I think they lived in California.

I have the flame stitching on mine and I think it is somewhere in the middle. Had I known about Phil's pattern when I got mine, I probably would have gotten it.

I've got about a full year on my Corbin, maybe 6-7000 miles. It broke in a little with use, but it's still hard. Mine is plain and black with no stitching. It sits a little lower and narrower than my stock Speedmaster seat so my knees are just a bit higher relative to my butt. All my weight is right on my butt bones and my butt sometimes goes to sleep if I ride more than 30 or 40 minutes. I had no problem with the comfort of the padding on the original seat. I could actually ride further and longer with the original. I just wanted a solo seat with an optional pillion. I'll probably send it in for more padding this winter.

Cody

Definitely send it in. Mine is 100x better since they reworked it. I took my Airhawk cushion to BC just in case (that was my first long trip on the reworked seat) but never used it. I left it at home for the Idaho Invasion.

I got my Corbin back today.. great service, they had told me 4 to 5 weeks and it was done in less than two. Even if I can't use their seat, their product and customer service are top notch. It is a good bit softer and they padded the back a little more so now if I can only train my butt to get along with the thing...

I must have a wierd a$$ i put 8000 miles in 6-1/2 weeks last year on stock seat on trip up north. Had no problems at all. Have almost 38000 on bike and stock seat is just fine.

thanks for the info chy,i will be sending my seat back for a rework soon

I have had my Corbin for 22,000 miles. It is the plain leather mentioned above. When I first got it I was apprehensive re the "firmness", but noticed after my first 100+ mile ride I just got off the mc and walked away (of course turning after two steps to admire the parked mc) without the stretching I had to do before it was installed.

Hey the stock seat has gotta fit someone! It looks fine, so if it fits, keep it. It's too bad not everyone is shaped the same

6000 miles on my Corbin standard pattern and i LOVE IT
it is firm but it is also comfortable. I got to say I could not ride this bike with the stock seat