The CB1100 Community Forum

Recently i was offered a new corbin seat from a member close to my home and after a test drive decided to buy it, it was in new condition.

Let me start by mentioning that i am totally happy with the deal, nice guy to deal with and a very reasonable price was accepted.

This is a gunfigher only, without the lady seat on the back, i think the gf/lady has a different shape than mine.

But after some riding there were some improvements that could be made, the pressure in the usual two spots was completely gone but i noticed some other things;
1 the seating was higher than the standard honda low profile standard seat.
2 the riding position was too far back to be relaxed and put pressure on my wrists.
3 the best way i can describe the seat is like sitting on a toilet seat, lots of pressure on the
femur bones and no support in the back, like it was overhanging somewhat.
4 unpleasant to put your feet on the ground because of the support on the side of the seat.
5 it gave me the impression that i was sitting on top of the bike and not "in it" which felt
less confident to ride.
6 any bumps in the road were better cushioned despite the seat felt a bit firmer, the support was
definitely better but in the wrong place.

Some things i tried was to compress the seating area overnight to "wear it in" , this was completely unsuccessful, as i later found out the white foam used in the seat bounced back in perfect shape even after beiing fully compressed for two days in my vise, no memory whatsoever.
I also noticed that if i moved forward and put my hand behind me the support improved.
So i had to come forward and support my lower back more to be in a comfortable position that did not put any pressure on my wrists.
A plan was hatched and the seat cover carefully separated from the white base foam, the back build up and re-shaped and then went for a test ride.
Much improved seating position and the pressure on my wrists was gone, it was also easier to put my feet on the ground but there was still a bit of pressure on my femur bones just forward of the upper joint so a small shallow channel was carved into the seat and more test riding ensued.

I was now happy with the result and riveted the cover on permanently.
One thing i learned on youtube from a german guy who altered his seat in much the same way is to leave the leather cover loose and don't glue it anywhere, it then provides for more stretch and feels softer because it is not constantly stretched out like the skin on a drum and thus conforms more to your body, i found this to be true and whilst the seat does not look as sharp as before i can appreciate the effect it has on the comfort level.

Today i went for a ride, started at 9:30 in the morning and returned at 18:00 with some short stops and no discomfort whatsoever, i am very pleased with this result and although he standard seat will be used for short trips the corbin is now the choice for the longer rides.

Here is a link for a short set of pictures with text;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDZ3JlVbHLU

Hope this may clarify some things for future and current users, i found that not much detailed info is available on the net about these seats, the shape appears to be made for bigger sizes than myself ( 6'3 and 85 kg ) and many lighter riders have a similar modification made to their seats by corbin after some time to adapt to the customer.

A very informative video max.

(12-11-2019, 10:42 PM)GoldOxide_imp Wrote: [ -> ]A very informative video max.

+1
Talk about "Full Custom" That's awesome!

ACK

When I had Corbin make mine I had them add extra material at the rear of the seat pocket for the same reason....I felt like I was pushed too far back on the seat and it was going to cause me to be leaning on my wrists too hard.

Randy thanks very much for posting these pictures, i was under the impression the the gf/lady seats had a different shape and were not set so far back than mine.

Before i altered my seat i had a long think about what would happen and i put some towels on top of the seat to simulate the effect it would have on the riding position long before i took the leather cover off, after the alteration i can change the riding position by about two inches for and aft and get quite a different feel on the seat but the new position feels now very neutral and i don't slide forward or aft.

This modification seems to be requested a lot since they seem to know exactly what to do and do it very effectively, did you "test sit" the seat before it had the ( new ) cover fitted?

In no way do i criticize corbin, i like what they do but was disappointed with the way it worked for me, i watched all there is about their workshop and some more to get a thorough feel of how the seats work and are constructed and with so many different rider shapes they must have created their "norm".

(12-13-2019, 03:44 AM)max_imp Wrote: [ -> ]Randy thanks very much for posting these pictures, i was under the impression the the gf/lady seats had a different shape and were not set so far back than mine.

Before i altered my seat i had a long think about what would happen and i put some towels on top of the seat to simulate the effect it would have on the riding position long before i took the leather cover off, after the alteration i can change the riding position by about two inches for and aft and get quite a different feel on the seat but the new position feels now very neutral and i don't slide forward or aft.

This modification seems to be requested a lot since they seem to know exactly what to do and do it very effectively, did you "test sit" the seat before it had the ( new ) cover fitted?

In no way do i criticize corbin, i like what they do but was disappointed with the way it worked for me, i watched all there is about their workshop and some more to get a thorough feel of how the seats work and are constructed and with so many different rider shapes they must have created their "norm".

I was on site and did a test ride before they installed the cover, and that was why I had them add the extra padding at the rear of the seat pocket.

In case anyone is researching I’ll add my experience. I got the gunfighter and lady with backrest (standard all black no mods). The order form asked for my inseam and weight. I’m 6’4 225 and notice a significant difference between the geometry of the two seats. Whatever they did, they got it right. I’m further back and higher. I’m keeping the original seat just because. I’m 500 miles on the Corbin and haven’t swapped back for solo rides and may never. I also train on a road bike so am used to a hard seat so I’m sure that helps. The less cramped position has been great.

yea it's hard to make one seat that fits someone 6'4 225 and someone 5'5" 180, and that's why oem struggles. All they can do is go somewhere in the middle and let the aftermarket sort it out.

Are there any companies that redo the OEM seat? Years ago there were places where you send in your oem seat and they improved it and sent it back to you. Was a bit less expensive than a new Corbin etc.

If you were in Australia, I’d suggest you searched locally for an upholsterer who specialized in motorcycle seating. They’d work with you to build a custom seat. I’m sure members here have talked about similar services.