So one of the things I'm considering for my bike eventually is a Corbin seat--YML's had one of these for years.
The modular design looks interesting, as does the integral backrest for pillion seat riders.
I've heard mixed review on these seats, and am interested hearing about people's experiences with them.
Miles By Motorcycle
established 11 years ago
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I liked my original Corbin seat. It lasted a good long while and was reasonably comfortable in comparison to the stock seat.
However, my impression is they have gone down hill. The second seat I got didn't have nearly the production quality of the first and it became rock hard not long after I bought it. Unless there's an argument to be made that they have significantly improved since I bought my last seat I will look for some other solution.
However, my impression is they have gone down hill. The second seat I got didn't have nearly the production quality of the first and it became rock hard not long after I bought it. Unless there's an argument to be made that they have significantly improved since I bought my last seat I will look for some other solution.
I've had two Corbin seats over the years. Both came with bikes that I picked up second hand. I don't think I'd ever actually buy one new though. Both seats that I owned and a 3rd that I tried on a friends back all were similar in design: Large flat seating area, little to no padding, and all 3 of them weighed a ton. The metal frame that the fiberglass pan is attached to is super heavy. The two I owned were probably twice the weight of the stock seat, if not more.
Though they were fairly hard and with little contour they were actually somewhat comfortable. I came to the conclusion that because the sitting area was so large and flat it spread out my weight and allowed me to move around easily, thus preventing as much fatigue as would be experienced on a narrower stock seat with a single sitting position. The downside though was that because the seats were so wide they would cut into my inner thigh when at a stop, not to mention that because there was so much open flat space I never felt too solidly fitted to the bike. Like a flat bench seat in a 60s american car vs. a contoured bucket seat in a sports car.
All in all they seemed cheaply built and overly heavy for how much they would have cost me new. For the same money or less you could get a custom sculpted seat. That's what I did. I went to Rich's Custom Seats in Seattle and paid $100 less than a Corbin would have cost at the time. I ended up putting 65,000 miles on that custom seat (on an R1100S) before eventually selling the bike and moving on to a K1200R. It served me well and regularly saw 400-700 mile days on numerous different trips.
Though they were fairly hard and with little contour they were actually somewhat comfortable. I came to the conclusion that because the sitting area was so large and flat it spread out my weight and allowed me to move around easily, thus preventing as much fatigue as would be experienced on a narrower stock seat with a single sitting position. The downside though was that because the seats were so wide they would cut into my inner thigh when at a stop, not to mention that because there was so much open flat space I never felt too solidly fitted to the bike. Like a flat bench seat in a 60s american car vs. a contoured bucket seat in a sports car.
All in all they seemed cheaply built and overly heavy for how much they would have cost me new. For the same money or less you could get a custom sculpted seat. That's what I did. I went to Rich's Custom Seats in Seattle and paid $100 less than a Corbin would have cost at the time. I ended up putting 65,000 miles on that custom seat (on an R1100S) before eventually selling the bike and moving on to a K1200R. It served me well and regularly saw 400-700 mile days on numerous different trips.