| Author | Message | ||
     Macbuell |
I need some opinions on the Buell Custom Seat vs. the Corbin for an XB12R. I traded in the lightning for a bolt and am pricing out the accessories I need to get. I had a Corbin on the 9S and loved it but I have heard some bad things about the Corbin on the R. It is also over twice as much. I'm looking for additional comfort for long days in the saddle but I'm only 5'9" so increasing ride height isn't necessarily a good thing. Thanks for the help. | ||
| Diablobrian |
I have not tried the select seat, but I do have the Corbin. The corbin isn't taller, but it feels taller because the seat is dished out and the seat edges make it feel wider that it actually is. Comfort wise the Corbin is great when you are actually out riding, but at stop lights it is less comfy than the stock seat. I believe the Buell custom seat does have a gel insert in it, but I could be wrong. | ||
| Buelltroll |
Dunno about the gel but the custom DEFINETLY raises ride height by at LEAST an inch probably more. Way more comfort and can move around on it alot easier than the stock one tho. Sell ya one for 130$ | ||
| Davefla |
I have a Corbin on my 12R and I love it, but everything I'd ever heard about delays and having to custom-fit the brackets turned out to be true. Earlier this year Corbin changed their XBR brackets to a new design that doesn't rub the battery cable, so you might want to watch out for deals on used seats if you're handy with a welder. | ||
| Ivanski |
does anyone have any pic's to compare the two? | ||
| Shasta |
Which seat is better? | ||
| Aldaytona |
The STOCK seat is better! Put on some seamless undies or unpadded bicycle shorts before that long ride and you'll be mint. Still thinking about the Corbin? Remove the stock seat and go for a ride, the closest sensation of riding on a Corbin, and the ONLY way to get lower without changing the suspension. | ||
| Barker |
Cant hang off the corbin as well as stock seat. You can lean off, but it is harder to do so. I have the corbin, great for long trips. just got back from a good trip on it and my butt felt great. My legs hurt from hanging off. Deals gap to Nashville, all back roads, scraping pegs all the way. 578.2 miles in 11 hours. Great comfort from the seat. | ||
| Kurosawa |
Here's my take, I'm 5'7", say 175 lbs unclothed. The stocker gives me butt burn in 100 mi. Nice and low, easy to get around on. Total ergos are perfect for me stock. Build quality is as near zero as it gets. Foam is soft and puts the points of the butt bones right down on the plastic pan. Its vinyl cover is held to the seat pan with staples that pulled out along the front edge. The custom is ultra cush. It's very high, so it could save a tall rider money in not having to lower the pegs an inch. I can't put both feet on the ground. Very easy to get around on. For me, it's too high and results in greatly increased buffeting. It gives me in a long reach which throws my weight onto my palms which brings on a death grip and numb hands, and I get tremendous burn between my shoulder blades. Hang on, let me go outside and look at it. OK, it's made the same way as the stocker. The Corbin is hard to get around on because it has a concave seat pan and dense foam that is supposed to cradle the butt and spread weight over a greater area. It eliminates butt burn for me with very little height increase. It's built on a metal pan with rubber feet that makes it a royal pain to install, but once installed, it's immovable. It also moves the rider back some, I don't know how much, and though not much thicker than the stocker, definitely makes it harder to reach the ground, but I can still get two feet down there, just can't plant 'em both. The cover is leather. I was waiting for some silicone paste to get to me in the mail when it rained on the seat. It raised an irregular welt around the top of the seat, presumably where glue had been squeezed without being spread out. After a month of leaving it in sun and rain and slathering the paste on in hopes the welt would go away, it's still there. I e-mailed Corbin and Michael Alva replied. He said it would be repaired under warranty, and said I could wait until the end of riding season to send it in if I wanted. He told me to call. When I called, a woman answered who said that since I'd bought it from Dave and not direct, I'd have to send it back to him and while I was talking she hung up on me. I wrote to Michael Alva again. We'll see what happens. Anyway, the stock top triple was perfect with the stock seat, but the Corbin put me far enough back that I needed the Heli, which I put on yesterday. The combination rocks at 75-80, but when traffic slowed to 65, I got the burn between the shoulders again. Maybe that's OK because I plan to do my distance riding mostly at 75. I have heard that the distance solution may be a sheepskin pad from alaskaleather.com but I have no idea what that would do for the height, or if it could eliminate the butt burn from the stocker. (Message edited by kurosawa on July 09, 2006) | ||
| Pwnzor |
Aldaytona you are joking right? I mean you're right about seamless underwear... but the STOCK SEAT? ROFL! | ||
| Davefla |
Aldaytona reminds me: the other thing I've heard from Corbin & some buyers is that the seat requires a break-in for max comfort, but I've never had a problem. The stock seat was good for an hour at a time, max. Barker's comment about hanging off just doesn't apply to my experience. But around here, since southern lower Michigan is flatland and the roads are mostly straight, that makes sense. My longest trip has been a 400 mile weekend, mostly interstate. I do prefer the stock profile in what few twisties I've ridden. I also have a XB9R seat from eBay that I modded with memory foam and a Travelcade heater, but I've never used it for a road trip, just early spring commuting. YMMV... | ||
| Rr_eater |
What are some of you guys talking about in regards to a Corbin? I have an 12S, and a corbin ala American Sport Bike style, and there is nothing farther from the truth then a couple of these comments, or you guys ride like pansies, one or the other........ JUST KIDDING!!! LOL "Remove the stock seat and go for a ride, the closest sensation of riding on a Corbin," I highly disagree. With the Corbin properly fitted, the vibration in the seat was far less, the feel more positive then sliding around on polished vinyl, and once broken in, IE 2-300 miles of "seat on" time, WAY better ergonomically, and far more comfortable. "Cant hang off the corbin as well as stock seat. You can lean off, but it is harder to do so. " Now this is debateable to a point. I am 6"3", with a 34 inch inseam, so I may have an advantage, as my lower legs are a bit longer then most. Hanging off was NO problem for me at all during Octoberfast, as many can attest to, or while riding any of my local roads with rice guys playing catch up, they all think I am crazy how far off the seat I get at times. (gotta love that dirt bike training, go moto, hang out the tire, on the gas, hammer it!!) I have a feeling it comes down more to personal preference obviously, but just as much physical differences between the rider!! If you are shorter all around, then the Select seat may be a bit high. But then, if the factory seat is just barely low enough for you, then the Corbin will further accentuate this as it is a bit wider, thus harder to get your feet down. If the factory seat fits good, consider having it stripped, refitted with a gel material, and recovered in something a bit less slipery then polished vinyl! It really is all opinion, you have to ride them the feel them. I like the City X seat my self too, but it put me WAY too high in the saddle, and I get the pee beat out of me over 70. I am not meaning to aggrivate anyone, just throwing out ideas!! Bruce | ||
| Livnlo |
buelltroll still have that seat for the r what color? am interested if still do going to sturgis and am 320 stock just wont cut it | ||
| Buelltroll |
It's just like this one. http://www.buell.com/en_us/bikes_gear/accessories/Product.asp?Menu_ID=2&ProductL ineID=3&CategoryID=3&ProductID=1293 | ||
| Diablobrian |
I've had Corbin seats before and I've always been happy with them. I'm puzzled by people that claim that they are too hard. Then again I can't stand the over- stuffed cruiser seats that seem so popular. They feel ok in the showroom, but on the road they just don't work if you are putting on any kind of mileage. I personnaly cannot attest to how the Corbin works for hanging off of the bike, but I'd assume the squarish edges that make it uncomfortable at a stop would have similar effects when hanging off. These seats were made for riding, not stopping though. As far as the Corbin mounts go, they are working on a retro-fit, but I had zero issues with the fitting of my seat, or with the mounts rubbing on the + cable of my battery. I have been keeping an eye on it though. If you do get a Corbin, I suggest you go through Al at American Sport Bike. He has his own specs for the seats he orders, mine is a black/black c-f look leather. He also does his own QA before shipping his seats. He rejects and returns the ones that don't pass muster saving you the hassle. If you do run into trouble Al also goes to bat for you with the Corbin people. Their customer relations with individuals is notorious. Al's by contrast is becoming legendary! Choose which you'd rather deal with. When the new brackets do become available Al will ship them out to his customers. One of the reasons that lowest cost is not always the way to spot the best deal! | ||
| Aldaytona |
I have ridden the stock seat XB9R from Ft. Lauderdale to Valdosta Ga for a party and later that day back to Ft. Lauderdale. Ride the stock XB12R seat from Daytona to Ft. Lauderdale and back all the time. Ride a pre-rubber mount Sportster with a Badlander seat all over as well. I don't get it. It's the shorts, not the seat. I would much prefer giving my hard earned money to Sam Adams than Mike Corbin, it's money better spent!  | ||
| Davefla |
Al, I've never ridden the stock seat farther than 180 miles one way. But it didn't matter whether I was wearing leather, textile pants, my Roadcrafter suit or even jeans. It was a torture rack after an hour. The Corbin seat cured that, at least for me (31" inseam, 200+ pounds.) As I mentioned above, that's got to have a LOT to do with the fact that southern lower Michigan is flat and straight. YMMV... | ||
| Kurosawa |
> I've had Corbin seats before and I've always been happy with them. > I'm puzzled by people that claim that they are too hard. This thread says they get hard if they sit around too long: http://www.riderforums.com/showthread.php?t=20080 } | ||
| Diablobrian |
Nice link Kurosawa, I had never heard that before. |
