Corbin seat-ST1300

PilotDave

PilotDave

Dave Wilson
Joined
Apr 7, 2007
Messages
50
Location
Mid Virginia, near Richmond
Bike
ST1300 - 2006
STOC #
6579
I have a 30 inch inseam. Russell was not confident that they could make a seat to fit on the ST1300 for my situation. How about the Corbin seat? Recommendations please. I have a Spencerized seat that works fairly well but a little more width where I need it ( No comments please) might be more comfortable. Any ideas and experiences would be helpful. Thanks folks. Cordially, Dave
 
Corbin's are hard as a rock, IMO, but they do make lower seat heights...
 
I have a 30 inch inseam also. I tried a Corbin and did not like it. The question I have for you is your seat on the lowest setting on the rear pegs or whatever you call them. I find the middle front seat location okay but the seat has to be forced to go one lower in the rear holders. I also wear thick soled boots and I can flat foot the bike. Just my .02 cents
 
Kind of like an "Oil" thread..I have a Corbin close both my wife and I like. Find someone close to you that owns a Corbin and try it out on your bike if you can before buying.
 
I have the Corbin close seat and consider it a great seat. It is a bit lower and provides a bit of lower back support. A firm seat is what I prefer.
 
I have a 30-inch inseam, too. I have a Corbin Close version. Yes, it's lower than the OEM seat. Yes, it's firm. At first, I didn't think I would like it. But the longer I rode with it, the better it felt. I am able to ride with the seat in the middle position and almost flat foot when stopped riding single. With a (beautiful, slim, and very stylishly attired) passenger, it's a solid flat foot with this seat for me at stops. She is very comfortable on the seat, too. I also purchased the larger sized backrest when I ordered the seat. In sum, I am very happy with my Corbin Close seat.
 
PilotDave said:
Thanks for the feedback. I also have found that Russell offers and similar seat. Any experience with that? Thanks. Dave
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I had a Russell Daylong seat for about a day a while back. It was definitely comfortable, but it raised my backside further off the ground by about 2 inches compared to the stock seat in the lowest setting. That was about 2.5 inches more than I could spare so I had to give it back to the guy I borrowed it from. If I stretch a bit, I can claim a 30 inch inseam, but it is definitely a stretch.

I don't know if Russell makes a "low seat" or not. The one I had was their standard seat. Nothing altered. NO way I could ever make it work for me.
 
Dave,

Did you ever buy the Corbin seat? I an trying to decide between a Corbin and a Sargent? Does anyone know which offers a more seat position? I have MCL raisers installed with my stock seat and like the ride but can't get both feet flat on the ground.

Thanks,

Gene
 
I too have a Corbin seat close version, yes it is hard but here is the question; i beleive it is the leather surface that makes the seat so hard, press with your finger or thumb on the leather surface and then press again on the vinyl surface(space between the rider and passenger) it is much softer. So i think that if the leather would be replace with vinyl, the seat would be much more comfortable.
I will probably remove the seat cover and see if what i've said makes sense.
 
I have had Corbin on my ST1100, and now my 1300. Riders who say they are "hard as a brick/rock" must be used to riding on pillows. :confused: I would characterize it as "firm", but not anything resembling a hardness approaching rocks or bricks. The fact about seats is, any seat that allows one to "sink" into the foam is ultimately creating a pressure point that restricts blood flow. A firm seat will distribute the load through the surface and relieve those pressure points. At the end of a 1000 mile day, my butt isn't the part of my body complaining. I have no issues with long hours in my Corbin saddles.
 
omniron said:
I have a 30-inch inseam, too. I have a Corbin Close version. Yes, it's lower than the OEM seat. Yes, it's firm. At first, I didn't think I would like it. But the longer I rode with it, the better it felt. I am able to ride with the seat in the middle position and almost flat foot when stopped riding single. With a (beautiful, slim, and very stylishly attired) passenger, it's a solid flat foot with this seat for me at stops. She is very comfortable on the seat, too. I also purchased the larger sized backrest when I ordered the seat. In sum, I am very happy with my Corbin Close seat.
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I'm curious to which Corbin seat is being referred to in these posts? Several have stated that it is lower than the OEM seat. The only seat I see on Corbin's website that offers a close version is the Canyon Dual Sport which is described as 32" in height. This is about an inch and a half higher than the OEM in the low position. What am I missing here? I really like the looks of the Canyon seat but at 5' 8" I couldn't go higher than stock. Thanks for any info.
 
I did not like the Corbin seat. It's hard as rock and does not "break-in" or soften. Also, because it's leather (and did I mention hard-as-rock) you slip around on it very easily - I didn't like that and my wife really disliked that part. I had to get a piece of that rubber shelf-liner for my wife to sit on so she wouldn't slip around on the seat every time I put on the brakes.

My Spencer seat is much better than the Corbin. I would try any other seat first. However, every rider is different and some really like the Corbin.

Best bet is to borrow one and try it. See who's got one that you can switch with and try it for a while.

Also, the Corbin is not height adjustable, and only fits in the lowest position - which is probably just fine for you, but it's good to know ahead of time. Good luck with your decision.
AL
 
I have a Corbin front saddle and retained the stock passenger seat. I agree Corbin seats are very firm at first but I have found that after a couple thousand KMs that you quit thinking about the seat at all (a good thing). I really like the leather cover and the ability to move around on the seat. Just rode a BMW with their low seat and although it allowed me to put my feat firmly on the ground after an hour or so my legs were killing me because I was stuck in the damned pocket.

The front saddle allows you to adjust the seat in height using the stock mechanism. However, the seat is wider than the stock so the effect is that the seat is higher. Although, I have a 29" inseam and place one foot flat and the other on the peg.

:slv13:
 
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The Professor said:
Also, because it's leather you slip around on it very easily
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Hmm.. I was wondering about the slipperyness of leather -vs-vinyl. Right now I am borrowing Dinkies Russel saddle (fullvinyl) and I find that every downshift I slide forward. I was thinking that if I have one made I would order the leather inserts to give me a little more traction. guess it depends on the particular leather finish. Now the stock seat I never felt like I was sliding forward on that vinyl, but maybe it was because I was too sore to realize it?
 
The Professor said:
I did not like the Corbin seat. It's hard as rock and does not "break-in" or soften. Also, because it's leather (and did I mention hard-as-rock) you slip around on it very easily - I didn't like that and my wife really disliked that part. I had to get a piece of that rubber shelf-liner for my wife to sit on so she wouldn't slip around on the seat every time I put on the brakes.

My Spencer seat is much better than the Corbin. I would try any other seat first. However, every rider is different and some really like the Corbin.

Best bet is to borrow one and try it. See who's got one that you can switch with and try it for a while.

Also, the Corbin is not height adjustable, and only fits in the lowest position - which is probably just fine for you, but it's good to know ahead of time. Good luck with your decision.
AL
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Which Corbin seat do you have? I have the Corbin Driver only seat and I just adjusted it yesterday. Curious....
 
On mine at least, the one piece Corbin seat is about the same height as a stock saddle in the upper position. Yes, it's hard, but with a pad on top of it, it is better for LD than anything else I've tried.
 
Corbins have to be broken in, and when folks write reviews that they are hard as a bricks, I always assume it was written after their first spin around the block on one. They can be stiff for a season, but after that they are great seats. I always think about my first baseball mit when I was a kid, the first time out, I thought my new glove sucked and it would never be comfortable, but time proved otherwise. Now I'm on my fourth Corbin on as many bikes. My ST has a solo/drivers seat and it is adjustable in 3 heights, just like the stock seat (?).

A Corbin isn't for everybody, it tends to be either love 'em or hate 'em. I love mine. All the best with your search.
 
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