Numb Bum & Back Pain..

Corbin comfort vs seat "height"

Late reply - been away

I have a 2004 1200 GS (well, I did, but at the moment it's somewhere else having an expensive FD/driveshaft repair).

I fairly recently got a Corbin, which is certainly comfier, but only as long as you are riding. When you stop and put your feet down it a) makes it much more difficult to reach the ground and b) it digs into your inside thigh, which is definitely not comfortable.

The standard seat on front high & rear low is much better for stop/start riding, but not as comfortable over distance, when you're going for a long time without putting your feet down

Maybe I just haven't got properly used to the Corbin yet
 
Hi Guys,

Thank you for all your helpful replies, & these were most appreciated....:thumb

I was told by by chance that a small company near to where I live would cater for my needs.

That company being:

Autoretrim
Unit A1
Cradley Enterprise Centre,
Maypole Fields,
Halesowen,
West Midlands
B63 2QB

www.autoretrim.co.uk

Contact Dave - 07950 734204

The guys at Autoretrim for a very reasonable cost, re-padded the seat taking the forward slope out of it & making the rear end broader & both driver & passenger seats recovered in a non-slip matt black material.

I'm so pleased with the workmanship & advice they gave, to solve the problem meaning that I highly endorse this company.....:clap
 
Ok here is the best tip, I have spent my life doing endurance sports, if you have a 600 miler day, take a couple of ibruprofen in the morning and a couple at lunch time and it will be loads better. Preemptive is better.
 
eonbkuk said:
The GSA seats are the most uncomfortable seats going, I have been looking for a Corbin as had them on previous biks but have had to resort to a sargent which is brilliant as couldnot find a corbin. I did try a powerbronze which was different but not wide enough for my derrier, couldnt get on with airhawk and haven't tried the dead sheep route yet.
Click to expand...

Did an iron butt on a standard gs with a dead sheep, worked for me. But the secret for me is to fidget about, stand on pegs and stretch. Remember, we are all built differently so whats good for me wont necessarily be the same for you.
 
seats

I fitted a Corbin to my 1150 and have now done about 87,000 on it and it was perfect. So, when I went down to a 1200 I brought a s/hand Corbin from the sales section and it's been brilliant.
 
5ft 8ins normal male proportions (whatever that is).

Standard GSA seat -
Adequate comfort but too high for me so droppiing the bike in traffic is a real risk.​
Standard GS seat -
Best seat height and leg reach to floor compromise for me. But the standard seat has a lump in the base in the middle at the back that pits pressure on my tail bone. What the **** is that about?​
Standard height Sargent seat -
The seat is a wide pan shape so the edges dug into my thighs. Those with longer legs might cope but it was useless for an average height bloke.​
Low low Kahedo -
Solves the seat digging into thigh issue but forces a terrible knees under chin riding position. I doubt the Low version would be much better.​
Standard Height Kahedo -
A bit hard but doesn't dig the thighs like the Sargent and I got used to its hardness. However, all pan seats force a static seat position and I miss the ability to move about.​
Corbin -
I cant comment on the GS but on my previous bike the Corbin was VERY heavy and used their own undertray that didnt fit the bike properly. I got it 2nd-hand for very little and sold it for the same price. It was just much too hard, quite slippery and the cover was not waterproof. It did look good though.​


I'm currently happy with the standard height Kahedo. But the standard GSA seat was not "that" bad, so maybe I'll have it cut down to give a GS seat height. Or take the cover off the standard GS seat and chop out that pointless lump at the back of the undertray. While at it have some better quality foam cut for the job.
 
Buy my Sargent seat its in the FS section under 1200 bits 1
its real comfi :bounce1
 

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My biggest problem was the distance between the seat and the pegs being 6ft4" my legs were bent so much my knees were hurting.

I had the seat raised by Bootleg Bikeseats in Preston and its much better. Still get a numb backside after 2 hours tho. Everyone I know with a GS says this. Fat thin tall short.

Limits ones enjoyment tremendously.
 
Fascinating.

I was told before I bought a KTM 990 Adventure that the seat was narrow and uncomfortable.

It really was the most comfortable saddle I've ridden on. (mine was 2009 so the more recent shape saddle)

My TDM 900 was awful.

My GS (which I had understood from outside the brotherhood - was supposed to be the definitive touring comfort bike) is just okay - but I do get numb arse, making the TDM seem wonderful.

I am genuinely surprised by all this thread. I thought it was just me.

(I know its different for different people, I'm 72 kg with 32" waist, so light and boney, I guess)

Think I'll have play with seat angles and foam inserts etc...
 
As said before comfort is such a subjective thing.

Body shape, riding fitness and ardent expectation of comfort all play a role in our satisfaction (or lack of it).

I'm in Fanum's camp tbh.

Ride more if you can and do simple, relatively cheap stuff, adjust bars, air pads, sheepskins etc till you resort to splashing out on an expensive spangly seat.

In my experience they will all hurt in the end but being locked in to one position is not as good as being able to shuffle around.
 
Yes Im in Fanums camp too. . . I ride all year and normally long rides across europe, up to scotland etc. . .I think 700 miles in one day is my personal longest. . . I did have a numb bum then i think


the longest in the saddle for the gs was cardiff and back in a day. . . 9 hours ish in the saddle I think. . . So yeah doable on the GS.

Just wondered if more comfort is possible. . . Probably a harder seat would be better for me :nenau
 
Just done 4 consecutive 300 mile days. Would have been excruciating on standard GSA seat but a Sargent low has made this a pain free pleasure. it doesn't have to be an ordeal and riding long distances in comfort is what it's all about on these beasts
 
I tried getting the standard seat remodelled in the UK, the Wunderlich seat and a Sargent but none of them worked for me. My solution was getting the seat done by Russells in California, makers of the day long saddle, and it was a revelation. I have completed 600 mile plus days with no numb bum at the end of the day and also being able to walk normally.
 
I rode 450 miles yesterday. 200 on GSA with a sargent seat the rest on my standard 2009 GS.

The Seargent was nice but TBA because the bike was set up for someone 6" taller than me, the seat was set back and bar risers made it painful in the extreme. If I sat back in the S seat it was very comfortable.

My Q is. . If it was a direct swap, ie a standard sargent seat set up would My bum be in the position, or would I still sit further back?


As for ride back. . . The standard seat is too soft, and whilst initially very comfortable after 100 miles i was numbing, at at 200 was glad i didnt have to ride any more:rob
 
I got a pair of Sargents when I bought my bike at 12 months old but didn't like them so sold them on, they rolled my arse backwards and put pressure on my lower back/hips.
I now use the stock 2007 seat with the front lower then the rear to tilt my pelvis forward and take the pressure off my lower back and puts the weight on my arse/top of legs which is the best position for me. For longer trips (more than 200 mile a day) we use airhawks. Furthest we've done is 840 miles in a day and then got back on the bike next day with nothing more than a bit of fatigue.
I do still get a numb bum sometimes but just have to man up to ride through it.
If doing big miles you have to stop every 3 hours to fill up anyway so stretch your legs and if they still ache put them on top of the cylinders for 5 minutes as you ride along.
 
Hi, first post here :)
I think there are different causes to pain, and on an adventure bike the position isn't that natural. I had one specific pain, and that was in the coccyx/back of the backside area. I recently bought a 2010 GSA and found both the standard and low GS seat really uncomfortable even after 20 minutes. I'm 5'11" and 80Kg so pretty average height and weight. I looked at lots of aftermarket seats - Sargent, Corbin, Kahedo/TT - and an Airhawk but none of them fixed the basic problem - the seat curves up at the back and digs into your arse. No-one seemed to make a proper flat seat.
A ride on the new WC GS, which has a seat 10 times more comfortable, and is flat, confirmed this was the case.
I finally discovered the Bagster Presto, which, although slightly higher on a GSA than I'd like, is about the flattest seat. Hey presto, the pain vanished. It's also more firmly padded, which feels a bit hard at first but is much better for a long day in the saddle. The BMW Comfort seat for 700/800GS is much too soft and not cut back enough and was killing me on the 700GS I owned previously.
I can now concentrate on all the other pain ;)
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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