New Corbin seat

[exavid]

Thought I'd post a picture of the new Corbin seat on my GT. Looks pretty good to me. I gained about an inch of legroom and a more comfortable seat besides the appearance. Yester day I took a ride of about 100 miles with no discomfort which is more than I can say about my OEM. I like the feel of the leather over vinyl too. I think I will finish it off with a Corbin backrest. A utopia backrest on my GL1500 and 1800 made for a comfortable ride on a long day's ride.

 

[Snowdog]

Looks good to me, how many miles can you do before your bum hurts?

 

[grey.hound]

Nice!

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[SteveADV]

Looks great, especially with that stitching. Good choice.

 

[exavid]

Corbin has a wide array of leather and vinyl colors also stitching and piping colors. When you order you can specify all those. I preferred not to add the red piping, just went with the red stitching to tie the seat into the bike's color. Wanted it to be understated. The leather is called 'bomber jacket', it's not a distressed finish just color variations to look like it's been around awhile. Just like my leather jacket.

I've only ridden one longer ride, not very long but about 125 miles and it was comfortable. It's beginning to take shape too, one of us, either the seat or me but it's very nice. Still think I'll order a matching backrest after the budget recovers a bit.

 

[JaimeC]

I went with the light grey leather for the seating area on mine. If anyone (EVERYONE) has ever sat on a black saddle that has been sitting in the summer sun all day, you'll understand the color choice. Add to that the fact that leather breathes while vinyl gives you a nice case of "monkey butt" and you can see the advantage.

Down side? You have to take care of leather to make sure it lasts. I figure once every six months I treat it with a good leather balm to keep it from drying out and cracking. More often if you get caught in the rain a lot.

 

[exavid]

I bought a jug of Corbin's leather dressing with the seat. Oddly enough I've never experienced a problem with a leather seat in hot weather. This is the third bike I've had here with a Corbin leather seat. We have a good bit of thee digit temps in summer here recently had a 106F day but no problem with a 'hot seat'. It's the blast furnace effect of the air that's the worst of it

 

[bicyclenut]

Does Corbin offer a seat similar to the low seat option that BMW has? AND, do they have a heated option as I know BMW does not on their low seat but I have heard others say they were able to retain this when they had their seat modified by some of the shops that do this. When I went on the website and started the seat configuration page I did not see an option for a low or reduced seat height but maybe I never went far enough as all I saw were colors and leather options. Thanks

Thought I'd post a picture of the new Corbin seat on my GT. Looks pretty good to me. I gained about an inch of legroom and a more comfortable seat besides the appearance. Yester day I took a ride of about 100 miles with no discomfort which is more than I can say about my OEM. I like the feel of the leather over vinyl too. I think I will finish it off with a Corbin backrest. A utopia backrest on my GL1500 and 1800 made for a comfortable ride on a long day's ride.

 

[JaimeC]

You'll have to ask Corbin about custom orders. The seat does come standard with the heating element, but I don't know if they'd remove it if you wanted a lower seat or not.

 

[JaimeC]

Oddly enough I've never experienced a problem with a leather seat in hot weather. This is the third bike I've had here with a Corbin leather seat. We have a good bit of thee digit temps in summer here recently had a 106F day but no problem with a 'hot seat'. It's the blast furnace effect of the air that's the worst of it

You've a far tougher butt than I, my friend.

 

[exavid]

Just about 100F today and I put another 75 miles on the Corbin. Liking it more and more. I can't quite flat foot with this seat but then I couldn't quite on the OEM either. If one is worried about seat height I'd understate my inseam length by a couple inches which would put a bit further forward and give a little gain on reach. I normally just use my left foot when stopping for a short time. If I stop for longer I slip a bit forward and use both feet.
The Corbin seat for the GT like all of the seats they make are pretty firm and more dished out than the OEM. They fit one's rump in the back more like a cup than a cushion which tends to center the rider (since there's no tank to do it) and spreads the load of behind on the seat more evenly. The first time one rides on a Corbin which for me was a Gold wing one might think you could make a softer seat out of white oak. But the do fairly quickly break in and feel fine. They are a lot nicer looking to me than the OEM seats on the three bikes, two BMW K1100LTs and the current Gt I've owned. I saw one on a Silverwing too that was an esthetic improvement over the OEM. That rider liked his over the original.

 

[JaimeC]

I did a 250+ mile day yesterday, mostly backroads (and even some unpaved ones). I still found myself squirming around by the end of the day but it took longer than when on the stock seat. Sadly, with the Indianapolis MotoGP now history, this is the longest I've ridden the scooter with the Corbin. I will be taking it for a higher mileage trip this weekend when I head up to Watkins Glen again for the annual Finger Lakes rally. Hopefully I'll get to ride it back HOME this year...

 

[SteveADV]

.... Hopefully I'll get to ride it back HOME this year...

Right. The not so good old days.

 

[exavid]

Ride safe Jaime. Hope you're having a good weekend.

 

[JaimeC]

Well, I put almost a thousand miles in four days on the Corbin. Not sure if it is the thing breaking in, or if it's my BUTT... but in either event on today's 300 mile ride home I didn't have any comfort issues, nor did I find it necessary to squirm in the saddle.

 

[exavid]

Every Corbin I've had required a pretty good break in period. As you said, it's hard to tell for sure whether its the rider's backside or the seat that breaks in. Either way they are pretty comfortable after they do. Seemed strange I was used to a big cushy saddle on my Goldwings but the Corbin turned out easier on my body. More like a Western saddle on a horse, they aren't padded with much softness either.

 

[Ozzie Scofield]

You have created a useful discussion for me. Did you remove OEM seat to install the Corbin unit? Or, did you need professional assistance. I have a Utopia back rest on my GT that I can move between it and the Sport scooter I also have. This combo is just about perfect but the Corbin looks like it might be somewhat more comfortable based on your picture and my previous ownership of Corbin seats. I rode the GT from Jacksonville FL to San Diego in 46 hours and am looking for even marginal improvement in comfort as I will attempt doing that roundtrip in 100 hours next April. Any thoughts or observations you would care to share on the Corbin vs the factory seat with the Utopia backrest would be appreciated by me.

 

[JaimeC]

Removing the OEM seat was so simple even *I* could do it. You will need an assistant in order to install the Corbin though (unless you have four hands).

 

[exavid]

Indeed a helper to hold the seat up until you get the first two bolts in makes it a lost easier. It took me a bit of time to realize I had to pry down the end of the seat bracket to get it to allow the OEM seat to slide off the bracket. I wish Corbin had utilized the six bolt set up the OEM seat was attached to the bracket with. Four seem to do the job but it's a easier to remove and replace the OEM seat by yourself with the six bolt system. The Corbin doesn't fit in the front on my bike as the OEM did but it's okay. I'm willing to put up with that for the improved fit and the extra leg room.