Corbin seat - about to pull the trigger

[r12r-don]

They didn't ask about what height I wanted. But they did take my inseam, height and weight to customize the seat.

[deilenberger]

I emailed them using the webform on their website - asking how much higher it was than the low seat.. no answer yet. If I ever get an answer I'll pass it on..

Don,

Didn't you have the comparison between the stock, low and high seat - or do I remember that incorrectly?

Wasn't me actually.. but the stock low seat is about 1" lower than the stock "normal" seat. I assume the high seat is another 1" - but can't swear to it.

EDIT - looked it up:

Low seat 770mm
Normal 800mm
High Seat 830mm

A bit less than 1" between them. I also poked around to see if there was any info on the "lowered" factory model that BMW announced - nothing that I can find. The websites are strangely silent about it. I'll ask a friend who might know.

In case it helps, the Corbin seat is 1/2 lower than the stock seat.
I wonder how much of a difference that really makes, as the stock foam compresses quite a bit, whereas the Corbin seats I've had have not compressed a lot. So I think in a real world situation the Corbin will offer a similar ride height as the stocker.
I asked for 1/2 inch additional padding as I wanted it a bit higher to get more leg room without affecting CoG etc too much.

The other question is the width of the nose of the seat.. that's where BMW improved things - makes it easier for my legs to go straight to the ground rather than splayed out to the side. Makes them effectively longer.

[OlyVR]

My seat shipped and the expected delivery date is Saturday.
If it really works out, 'm planning on trying it out this weekend and giving y'all feedback.

Keep your fingers crossed.

[vielzebub]

I'm waaay late to this party, but thought I'd add my impression of the corbin I installed on my R1100S.

Customer service was fine I guess....I ordered it, it arrived. Since I had no problems, there were no problems.
My seat had the backrest and my passenger at the time loved it.
Installing the backrest was easy enough, but the corbin was so tight that putting the seat back on was a chore for a long time (I'm 200lbs, and I'd kneel on the seat, grab the sides of the bike and pull down with much strength to get the seat, seated).
The seat was a lot more comfortable than stock for long trips.
The seat was wider than stock splaying my legs when standing at a stop.
The seat was much heavier than stock....enough so that it affected the turn in of the bike at slow speed.

Overall, it was a good purchase for me.
I won't get one for the R though....I think I'm going to try the Sargent. My stock seat pan is actually broken (I'll post pics later) so I'm hoping to get a new seat with warranty. If I'm lucky enough to keep the old seat I'll ride on that and get the new pan covered by Sargent.

I hope you have good luck with the corbin and I can't wait to see pictures.

Eric

[Acpantera]

I bought one and have no regrets, Wife likes it too (back rest is a huge feature)

[ErikM]

Me too :-) I ordered it in the leather shown but also asked for a half inch more hight, I tried a stock tall seat and loved the extra room but not the comfort. I have a 32 inch inseam and the stock hight was too low so I figure half and inch more should do the trick. The nice fellow at Corbin said I could remove the extra height at no charge if I didn't like it. Conversly I could have ordered it at their standard height if I wanted and sent it back to make it taller if I wanted but I figured I'd rather start higher.

[OlyVR]

Well guys I got my new seat. It arrived on Sunday and I took some pics that I’ll try to upload tonight when I get home.

Since I spend ~$470 on this seat it is perfect and there’s nothing wrong with it…


Here's the good, the bad and the ugly.

First off, the ordering process was easy as the guy at Corbin took his time walking me through the options and pricing.
Leadtime was supposed to be 5-6 weeks, but he promised to TRY to get me the seat a bit earlier. He definitely delivered on that front: it only took 4 weeks from order point to the time it arrived a my door.

Design: the seat overall looks very good (go to Corbin to see it, as I ordered it exactly like on the website, asphalt side etc.). The rear section no longer sloped down towards the taillight and is therefore higher than the stock seat by about 1.5 inches. This creates a step at the rear trim piece, but does not bother me, as I have the luggage rack and it aligns with that. I may have contributed to that as I ordered the seat 1/2 inch higher than their normal seats to get me to stock height. Since their foam is harder, I sit a bit higher than on my stocker - giving me some much appreciated leg room (I'm 6-2). I'm very happy about that one.

Weight: Like all Corbins it weighs more than the stocker. If you’re looking to shed weight as a way of increasing the bikes performance, go for another manufacturer. I’ve had Corbins before and expected it, so it a non-issue for me. Plus, I’m a 2XL kinda guy, so it would be ridiculous for me to complain that the seat is oh-so-heavy now and messes with my CoG – I think what I have a lunch would have a bigger impact.

Materials: Leather seating surface and vinyl sides fit well and are nicely put together. Leather is very supple yet thick enough to make me think that it’ll last for a while.

Warts: I have two issues with the seat:
1) The left side that fits around the tank sticks out a ¼”. It doesn’t look all that great and you’ll see in the pictures when I post them. I contacted Corbin and they asked me to send them a pic. I’ll let you guys know what comes out of it.
2) Pressure points. The seat has two pressure points (left and right cheek…) similar to the stocker. I got around that on the stocker with a gel pad, but since I don’t like those I ordered the Corbin. The discomfort is less than on the stocker and Corbin assures me that once the seat breaks in the foam will get softer and comfort to my behind. Since it should take about 1,500 miles and I’m about to go on a trip (Greenville, SC to Memphis, TN), I’ll let you guys know in about 2-3 weeks how that worked out. If it doesn't work, I’ll have Corbin re-work the seat.

All in all, I’m still happy with the seat and (still) confident that the issues will be resolved. So far my contact at Corbin has responded quickly to my emails.

I’ll try to post some pics later.

[ErikM]

Thanks Oliver: Looking forward to the pics. And please give us a bit of a riding impression once you get some time on it. I'm curious if you have any issuses with sliding around or if you can stay pretty much planted. I had a Corbin for my K1200RS once and I had to hold myself in place or I ended up on the tank., got rather tiring. The Corbin I had on an R1100RT was damn near perfect in comparison. FWIW. I ordered mine yesterday and since made a sight change, I decided to have them do the sides in a smooth vinyl to more closely match the leather seating surfaces , I did'nt want to add another texture to the bike.

[OlyVR]

Thanks Oliver: Looking forward to the pics. And please give us a bit of a riding impression once you get some time on it. I'm curious if you have any issuses with sliding around or if you can stay pretty much planted. I had a Corbin for my K1200RS once and I had to hold myself in place or I ended up on the tank., got rather tiring. The Corbin I had on an R1100RT was damn near perfect in comparison. FWIW. I ordered mine yesterday and since made a sight change, I decided to have them do the sides in a smooth vinyl to more closely match the leather seating surfaces , I did'nt want to add another texture to the bike.

Erik, I still don't have any significant seat time, but I can tell already that the seating position is more level than stock. The stocker seemed to slope towards the tank whereas the Corbin does not try to slide me and the boys into the tank. The leather also seems to cause less sliding than the vinyl.

[ErikM]

Thanks Oliver, that's great news. I was really hoping that would be the case. Now I wait for mine.

[mogu83]

How do you guys feel about the leather seat (convince me it's a good idea). I know about the leather breathing and making for a better all day ride, but it seems like I spend a lot of time in the rain (I figured my last bike had about 30,000 in the rain). The bike also sits outside at quite a few rallies during the year. I know sooner or later I'll forget the cover and the seat will get wet. The idea of being 5 or 6 hundred miles from home with a seat that is a wet leather covered sponge doesn't seem like a good idea to me.
I just sent my third e-mail to Sargent pleading for a seat, with no response.
It looks like Corbin is the only show in town as I want to keep the stock seat. Did Corbin mention an all vinyl seat?

[deilenberger]

Had a leather Russell... it's gotta be 10 years old, and is still on the bike, which is still in our club. Seems to be holding up. I did get the "raincap" that Russell sold (think a huge showercap) that I used in downpours.

One downside - the stitching does let water through. Corbin used to use no plastic water barrier on theirs - and they were famous for becoming a huge water soaked sponge that could take weeks to completely dry out. Dunno if they finally added a water barrier.. good seats do come with one.

FWIW - I'd go vinyl, I'm pretty convinced that with two or three layers of stuff between my skin and the seat I can't tell the difference...

[OlyVR]

Sorry about the delay, but between work and getting the bikes ready for the MC trip from Greer, SC to Memphis I've had very little free time.
Anyway, finally, here are the pictures of the Corbin seat.
As you can see the seating area is curved making it more comfortable.
You can also see that the passenger area is higher than stock, but aligns with the luggage rack.

Also in the gallery you can see the difference between the stock and LED blinkers.

Talk to you guys in a week or so (don't know if I'll have access from the road).

Here's the gallery: http://obrandau.smugmug.com/gallery/5278159_f3MpE

[ErikM]

Oliver thanks so much for the pics. MAN that seat looks GOOD! Can't wait for mine :-)

[NCGS]

Oly, Nice seat, but I'm not surprised you're experiencing 'quality control' issues (the way it fits in the front next to the tank - they could do much better). Corbin is notorious for that.

I do like the way it looks, and i'll be curious to see how you like it after your upcoming long haul. Ride safe!..

[BigEasy]

Oliver, seat looks cool, but those blinkers really rock. What brand are they and where can a guy get a set? Ride safe

[celticus]

Oliver, seat blooks cool, but those blinkers really rock. What brand are they and where can a guy get a set? Ride safe

Yeah, Me too.
Mark

[OlyVR]

The blinkers are OEM BMW. They look great but they are not cheap (~$60/piece).
If you're interested the part number is: 63 13 7 708 048.
In addition you'll also need to order the retrofit wiring kit 71 60 7 711 284 (1 kit covers 4 blinkers). My buddy wasn't sure if the kit covers 1 bike or 1 pair, so since it covers one bike, I have an extra wiring kit that I'd sell for what I got into it ($30 incl. shipping in CONUS).

[mogu83]

OlyVR
What about the SEAT? Are you happy? I'm sitting here with my credit card at the ready.

[OlyVR]

OlyVR
What about the SEAT? Are you happy? I'm sitting here with my credit card at the ready.

Sorry about that - I was posting in between other things.

In general I'm happy with the seat and think that I'll be very happy in the long-run.
A word of advice for anyone else leaving on a long trip: Do not try an 11 hour day on a pratically brand new seat.
At the end of that day I was ready to call it quits and would have put the stock seat back on if I had brought it. But by the time I was heading back home, the seat (or my ass) were becoming better acquainted. Hence my previous statement that I think that once the seat is properly broken in, I'll be very happy. Furthermore, to be fair I never had such a long day on the stocker, so who knows at the end of such a day on the stocker I probably would have given away my bike.
I don't think I could have made that trip on the stock seat, but wish I had time to break it in.
Most importantly though, I really liked the seating position where there is less slanted towards the tank which means less sliding into it.

Would I do it again? Yes!