[jefro]

Last weekend the OL and I rode up Hwy 101 350 miles to Hollister for our saturday appointment to have a custom seat made for our 02 Heritage. Jack had the seatpan and standard foam ready and waiting then asked if we needed any changes. Yeah, since she uses the regular sissybar, make the rear of the seat 2 inches longer, top the whole thing with soft foam, and sand down those big side edges digging into my cheeks and thighs so I can be comfortable at a stoplight. We rode around the parking lot, came back and said it's good. 2 hours later the leather was stitched and riveted, and we were on our way to the Kamping kabin at the Santa Margarita Lake KOA campground. Somewhere around Carmel my butt was getting real sore but I figured Corbins need a break-in period. By the time we got to San Luis Obispo, my ass was on fire! I felt like I was sitting on a phone pole, and couldn't wait to get off the bike. Well, I got home and rode it some more, and then decided to go back to Corbin. I left friday at 12:30 am, rode all night, got there early, and Jack redid the seat. He added the side and front support foam that I originally had him sand off, and he made the foam just like their standard Dual Tour seat. I made sure it felt right this time, and I could feel the support was good all around. He said sanding off all the side support was a mistake the first time but he figured I knew what I was doing. Got done by 11am, then rode back Hwy 5 the 350 miles, and got home by 5:30pm. When I got back I knew the seat was right! I was comfortable and happy, and now I have a Corbin backrest for those long rides. So I guess the lesson is Corbin knows how to contour a seat right, and if you go there, spend a lot of time listening to the tech's suggestions.

 

[logical]

I agree...lots of people get on my fat Boy to try out the Dual tour and gripe about the sides. I say "put your feet on the floorboards dude like you are riding it, not just sitting still". Then they understand why I love this seat.

 

[jefro]

Logical, you hit it right on the head! The seat felt uncomfortable with my feet down in the Corbin Wizard Shop, but on the highway it gives full support like it should. I really felt kinda foolish, but when I mentioned it to our Sturgis road captain, he said he did the same thing, twice!

 

[jefro]

I bought the Dual Touring seat and large backrest directly from Corbin at Sturgis for $625, and told them I would make an appointment on a saturday to actually have the seat made at their shop in Hollister because I wanted to bring my wife to make sure she was happy. The front of the seat is just like their standard Dual Tour except with softer mix foam. The back half is 2 inches longer because I have the HD regular sissybar which is farther back. The rear also has the softer foam. But the most important thing we found was she slid foward excessively when I braked moderately hard on the Corbin, but not so much on the standard Heritage seat, so Jack added a small foam hump on the front area of her seating area. It is not very noticeable but holds her in place well under braking.
I believe the Corbin seats are well designed for the AVERAGE build rider, and ordering from a catalog is ok. Their seats use very firm foam, and this takes a while to get used to, but the excellent contouring makes the firmness ok.
If you are a lot shorter or taller than average, going to the Corbin factory for a fitting makes sense. And they charge no extra for special foam, leather colors, stitching, piping or studs. Also they have a little diner on the premises and they feed you for free while your seat is being made.
If you need a motel call the Cinderella Motel, it's owned by motorcycle riders and it's close to the factory. 831-637-5761.
Later, Jefro.