R100GS Corbyn Vs Standard

No apologies necessary, it all goes into the invaluable ( I remember how hard work it was to get info before the net) pool of knowledge that lies in this site. I'd suggest you find out who makes steel gates in your area, the sort who makes them for peoples gardens , etc, a good blacksmith type setup. They will likely have the tools to do that job and may be able to do it while you wait if you are nice to them. Only problem might be that they willl likely have solid bar to work with and you will require hollow tubinghb unless you are happy with flat bar.
 
No apologies necessary, it all goes into the invaluable ( I remember how hard work it was to get info before the net) pool of knowledge that lies in this site. I'd suggest you find out who makes steel gates in your area, the sort who makes them for peoples gardens , etc, a good blacksmith type setup. They will likely have the tools to do that job and may be able to do it while you wait if you are nice to them. Only problem might be that they willl likely have solid bar to work with and you will require hollow tubinghb unless you are happy with flat bar.

Thanks. Quite a few gate builders about it seems. I was keeping an eye out for some tubular racks I could sacrifice for the hoops at least.
But the priority job is to straighten the airhead rack. It's out just a couple of cms. I'll try a local bike shop tomorrow. I don't want to return to the last "engineering" shop I used.
 
My experience with 'bike shops' is that theyll sell you stuff but arent into homemade/one off engineering solutions. I was in Swantons Motorcycle Acessories shop the other day, he had a bunch of bikes being fixed up and a lathe in corner that seemed like it was seeing regular use so I'd reckon he'd either be able to set you up or will know a man who can. Finmding good places is hit and miss, I had a Flying Tpot sidestand that I wanted to straighten recently, all it needed was some heat and a little tweak to straighten the leg. 1st place heavy duty metalworking shop said no problem but when I pick it up they don't seemed to have used heat but brute force leaving vicious bench vice marks on leg and a new bend in the leg. Next place I went to was that gatemaker type setup, he was good enough to put ity in vice, apply the heat and then to cap it off invited me to bend it to whatever I required. Perfect result and he didn't even want paying.
 
Was thinking this would be a nice scheme. Anyone got an opinion on the textured type leather, does it soak up water, does it keep your ass cooler on a hot day etc?
 

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I have had that seat for years. The purple trim isn't quiet the right colour but apparently they can use the correct one if requested. It doesn't soak up water but if you leave it on the centre stand it does puddle in the centres. Not sure if its any cooler but I suppose if I think about it, it may probably be cooler than other seats i've had.
 
I have had that seat for years. The purple trim isn't quiet the right colour but apparently they can use the correct one if requested. It doesn't soak up water but if you leave it on the centre stand it does puddle in the centres. Not sure if its any cooler but I suppose if I think about it, it may probably be cooler than other seats i've had.

Small world eh? I just did a Google image search and that came up, not even sure what site it originated from it looks great, not too much purple, just a nice nod to the bikes colour.
 
Was thinking this would be a nice scheme. Anyone got an opinion on the textured type leather, does it soak up water, does it keep your ass cooler on a hot day etc?


I've had that saddle with Corbin's traditional basketweave vinyl on a number of motorcycles including an Airhead GS, K100RS's, my current R100R, and a 2007 Honda Nighthawk 750. I believe Corbin refers that style as "Gunfighter and Lady" or "Canyon". It's one of my favorite seats ever! I feel the heavy texture helps in hot weather because I never feel like I'm sweating to the seat.

A few years ago when I last ordered the one (for the Nighthawk) Corbin really tried to switch me to leather saying "leather is better" plus they were almost out of the basketweave vinyl as it had been discontinued. I ordered the basketweave anyway since I've been so pleased with it over the years. Although it still shows on their website in pics I'd be surprised if the basketweave is still available. In fact they said they were phasing out offering vinyl at all on their seats (except for sides).
 
I've had that saddle with Corbin's traditional basketweave vinyl on a number of motorcycles including an Airhead GS, K100RS's, my current R100R, and a 2007 Honda Nighthawk 750. I believe Corbin refers that style as "Gunfighter and Lady" or "Canyon". It's one of my favorite seats ever! I feel the heavy texture helps in hot weather because I never feel like I'm sweating to the seat.

A few years ago when I last ordered the one (for the Nighthawk) Corbin really tried to switch me to leather saying "leather is better" plus they were almost out of the basketweave vinyl as it had been discontinued. I ordered the basketweave anyway since I've been so pleased with it over the years. Although it still shows on their website in pics I'd be surprised if the basketweave is still available. In fact they said they were phasing out offering vinyl at all on their seats (except for sides).

I'll be getting a local upholstering guy to do the job, he does some nice work on saddles so it will all fall down to what he has available.He did the work in post #19 so looks like he might have the weave stuff.
 
seat

I have a "Russell day long saddle" on my Guzzi Cali they do them for the r80gs (shown in picture) - they really are very good.
 
Met with upholsterer again today. Turns out that the foam is probably bonded to the leather and this creates a big problem for reupholstering without damaging the foam. I'm going to have a go at seperating the leather from the foam in same way that you can skin a fish using a knife, I might modify a spoon by sharpening a portion of the leading edge to help cut the foam on curved sections. Should be fun :D

Anyone here had any sucess seperating leather and HD foam that have been bonded? I'll be adding a 10-15mm layer of softer foam to soften the seat as I find it too hard so this will cover up any slight chop marks from blade.
 
Well, that was easier than I expected, very little foam came away. Drilled rivets out from cover, most of it pulled back and only the seat contact areas were bonded and came away with a bit of heat from a hairdryer. No tools needed for pulling leather away except for my fingers to gently force them apart while feeling that there was heat there. All set now for new cover to be made, sourcing basketweave from Woolies (https://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/product/1549/basketweave-expanded-vinyl and https://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/product/1997/embossed-vinyl ) with them sending out a few samples before I buy. Small note on construction of material by Corbin is that the black bits in photo are leather and the white bits are some sort of vinyl. Their thinking is that the leather will adopt to shape of your body while the vinyl will support the sides. makes me wonder what leathers are available out there for this application.
 

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Reason the cover was stuck on might be that it difficult to stretch it to a concave shape!
Perhaps Corbin have found that leather performs better than vinyl when untensioned.
I replaced the cover on a seat which had a stuck on cover and the bits of foam came off with the cover.
Before I recovered I stuck on a light foam around 1/2 " thick, which helped both fit and comfort.
If your mutt has ever eaten your cars seats you will probably know that some are made this way, my Triumph 2.5 PI ones were anyway!
 
I eventually was able to buy the basketweave embossed leather directly from Corbin. My upholsterer did a fine job with combination of the Corbin leather, vinyl sides and beading. An extra layer of foam takes the edge off the hardness that bugged me on the original. I find that I can have two seating positions with this saddle, regular upright and I can slide my butt back further than on OEM BMW which helps me stretch my back on the longer Road miles.
 

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