Corbin Seats
- Thread starter Udders
- Start date
Very nice, I’ve got the Sargent one and I’m pleased with it. I would love to try a Corbin though. Enjoy 
ELIMINATOR
Registered user
Most of us are fat old tossers, bums are naturally padded........
Corbins are designed especially for fat American asses.
A Corbin seat is a better improvement than upgrading the suspension..... given the choice of riding all day on a bike with a Corbin seat or Ohlins (other brands are available) suspension, I know which I’d be happier with at the end of a long day.... I once spent 17 hours on a Corbin saddle, ending up in Torremolinos, no discomfort at all. I’d not have been able to walk at the end of the day using a standard seat. I’ve Cornin seats for both my GS and RT, even had one for my old Electraglide 
A Corbin seat is a better improvement than upgrading the suspension..... given the choice of riding all day on a bike with a Corbin seat or Ohlins (other brands are available) suspension, I know which I’d be happier with at the end of a long day.... I once spent 17 hours on a Corbin saddle, ending up in Torremolinos, no discomfort at all. I’d not have been able to walk at the end of the day using a standard seat. I’ve Cornin seats for both my GS and RT, even had one for my old Electraglide
Well that’s good to hear cos I have just had a newly refurbished pair of Ohlins put on along with the Corbin seat!
Double whammy. 
I’ve only ever had the standard seat and shocks on it before now.
I’ve got an old Corbin on my 1100 GS, but I seam only to fit in one position, even that is with great difficulty, the standard seat can fit and tilt 4? Ways, that said the Corbin is very comfortable, despite not having a lardy arse.
ThreeDawg
Registered user
I'd do (did) the suspension first as that affects handling, roadholding and off road manners. If you've got a better seat, great, but you notice the suspension setup immediately, the seat only after a few hours.
If it was a straight choice between the two I’d dump my Ohlins and keep the Corbin... you can have the best money no object suspension in the world but what’s the point if you can’t ride any distance without getting a sore arse and being uncomfortable
ThreeDawg
Registered user
Not really into slabbing it for hours. So I don't.
I must admit a seat doesn't have the same kudos or look as impressive as shiney/blingy suspension when parked up in the local biker cafe/hangout.
ThreeDawg
Registered user
I don't suppose you have a clue where I've taken my bike, but as long as your arse isn't sore and my bike good for me, we're both happy, eh?
RT Seat
As an alternative to Corbin,I use a seat from the RT on my GS-A..not just plug and play, but with a little creativity it is possible .The original seat on the GS-A is a,not funny,joke ,on long distance touring.
As an alternative to Corbin,I use a seat from the RT on my GS-A..not just plug and play, but with a little creativity it is possible .The original seat on the GS-A is a,not funny,joke ,on long distance touring.
That’s really interesting - I have always wondered if the RT seat would be a fit… Can you give any more detail about the modifications required, please?
As an alternative to Corbin,I use a seat from the RT on my GS-A..not just plug and play, but with a little creativity it is possible .The original seat on the GS-A is a,not funny,joke ,on long distance touring.
Paul,
I took my GSA for its MOT today and there was an 1100RT in the shop for some work (same seat as the 1150RT). As I know the guy who owns the garage he kindly lifted the seat on the RT so I could see the mountings and we then put the RT seat on my GSA. The front mounting fits over the rubber bungs on the GSA mount, but the rear rubber mounts miss the frame and that puts the seat (and your weight) onto the top of the fuse box, but as a quick trial, it proved that the RT seat is several orders of magnitude more comfy than the standard padded blade fitted to the GSA.
A quick measure showed that the fixing centres on the adjustable front mount on the RT match the front mount on the GSA, so they will be interchangeable. The rear mounts on the RT provide 3 heights and will be a little more challenging - particularly as I want to make any modifications reversible, so I can revert to standard if I need/want to carry a pillion, but as 99.9% of my riding is solo, thats not an immediate issue. You'd also need to figure out a way of locking or bolting the seat as the RT seat is held in place by the pillion pad and the locking mechanism is completely different. So as Kawanor notes, not plug and play, but possible if you're creative.
Anyway, suitable enthused, I've trawled ebay and found the complete RT mounts and a pair of front/rear RT seats for a total of £87 delivered, and plan to replicate what Kawanor shows in his photo. It won't be as professional as Udder's Corbin or a Sargent, but for under £100, I'll get a comfortable seat for long days, so its worth some shed time; I'll let you know how I get on.
Mac
That’s a great write-up, Mac. Thanks for letting me know and I’ll follow with interest.
I picked up a Pak-Meister from eBay last week so I’ll give that a try for a bit. An RT seat looked a great alternative though.
My first thought was to find a way to mount the GS framework underneath.
I picked up a Pak-Meister from eBay last week so I’ll give that a try for a bit. An RT seat looked a great alternative though.
My first thought was to find a way to mount the GS framework underneath.
ELIMINATOR
Registered user
If it was a straight choice between the two I’d dump my Ohlins and keep the Corbin... you can have the best money no object suspension in the world but what’s the point if you can’t ride any distance without getting a sore arse and being uncomfortable.
Steptoe, have you ever considered this only happens after arriving at your destination, then waking to a sore arse after an evening piss
up & forgetting the evening. 
Steptoe, have you ever considered this only happens after arriving at your destination, then waking to a sore arse after an evening piss
up & forgetting the evening. Well, that'll teach me to be cocky!
Having gathered what I thought would be the right parts, I can confirm that the adjustable RT front mount is NOT interchangeable with the fixed GSA mount. Although the centres for/aft are the same, the RT bracket is wider so the holes don't line up across the frame. Also, the legs that mount the tensioning springs for the adjustable bar foul the back of the air box, so it wouldn't go far enough forward, even if the holes all lined up. Bugger!
Further frame differences between the GSA and the RT mean that the rear mounts would need to be carved about to the extent that each one would only have a single fixing, so they've also gone back in the box.
Anyone need a set of cleaned up RT seat mounts?
Plan B
Putting the RT seat onto the GSA front mount and pushing it fully forward reveals that the rear rubber bungs on the seat fall directly above two empty holes in the GSA rear subframe - at last, some good luck. Plan B is to insert a couple of rivnuts into these holes (taking care not to intrude on the wiring coming out of the fuse box directly below the hole on the RHS), then fabricate a couple of support pillars to match up with the rubbers, to keep the seat (and my weight) off the top of the fuse box, then add a bracing bracket between these to prevent lateral movement and give me somewhere to mount a latching mechanism to hold the seat in place.
Then all I have to do is replicate the GSA seat latch bracket on the underneath of a suitable plate which will fill the gap behind the seat and give me additional carrying space.
Theoretically, I should then be able to mount the RT seat and change back to the GSA seat as when needed by just removing the support post/bracing bracket (2 bolts); however I've been wrong so far, so I shan't be surprised if its not that simple!
Having gathered what I thought would be the right parts, I can confirm that the adjustable RT front mount is NOT interchangeable with the fixed GSA mount. Although the centres for/aft are the same, the RT bracket is wider so the holes don't line up across the frame. Also, the legs that mount the tensioning springs for the adjustable bar foul the back of the air box, so it wouldn't go far enough forward, even if the holes all lined up. Bugger!
Further frame differences between the GSA and the RT mean that the rear mounts would need to be carved about to the extent that each one would only have a single fixing, so they've also gone back in the box.
Anyone need a set of cleaned up RT seat mounts?
Plan B
Putting the RT seat onto the GSA front mount and pushing it fully forward reveals that the rear rubber bungs on the seat fall directly above two empty holes in the GSA rear subframe - at last, some good luck. Plan B is to insert a couple of rivnuts into these holes (taking care not to intrude on the wiring coming out of the fuse box directly below the hole on the RHS), then fabricate a couple of support pillars to match up with the rubbers, to keep the seat (and my weight) off the top of the fuse box, then add a bracing bracket between these to prevent lateral movement and give me somewhere to mount a latching mechanism to hold the seat in place.
Then all I have to do is replicate the GSA seat latch bracket on the underneath of a suitable plate which will fill the gap behind the seat and give me additional carrying space.
Theoretically, I should then be able to mount the RT seat and change back to the GSA seat as when needed by just removing the support post/bracing bracket (2 bolts); however I've been wrong so far, so I shan't be surprised if its not that simple!
I was going to see if the seat fixings from the GS seat base could be fitted to the RT seat base, so that the fittings on the bike remain in place and the RT seat will lock into place as normal. It will mean some butchering (ahem, I mean modification) of the RT seat base to mount the bracket, but the benefit would be that the fittings will match up and the seat lock will work.
I love Corbins and have had them on many bikes, including a CRF250L, although always purchased used as I can’t see how they could justify the new cost. They do seem to have a fairly common problem with the bases not being 100% perfect in shape resulting in the covers chafing against the frame or bodywork in one or two areas, eventually wearing through the cover material. They must be lined with lead as they are incredibly heavy compared to stock seats.
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