Corbin Seat Question

just got my smuggler seat. I notice that the seat pan appears to be drilled for heat, even though I didn't opt for that. As a result, there is a circle drilled through the side pan, and covered by the material. I can see this causing the cover to wear excessively over that hole.

They make all of the pans for the seat the same with or without heat, you should not have any problems with wear from this.

In the BMW world, ( Airhead riders,anyway, who tend to be long distance/time riders), Corbin has a reputation for poor workmanship, marginal durability, and VERY poor customer service. This may have changed since the time I was more involved in the Airheads club, but at that time, they were avoided like the plague. Perhaps it was JUST BMW seats..I dunno.

I have the same detail on my Corbin seat I installed 10 years ago, it has not presented any problems - go ride, nothing to worry about there.

Thanks Highrider for the information, feel better now.

Klaproth, regarding quality, it appears to be well made. I haven't had a chance to install it, hope to get my ST back today from shop. The fit and finish of the Smuggler is nothing short of OEM quality. The lid closes and secures like a door on a Mercedes.

Nice thing I suppose is any seat will work with the Smuggler trunk, so I'm free to experiment while keeping the trunk.

Ok, Another Corbin seat question. Trying to install the seat. It only seems to allow the two back recess blocks in the seat to engage the two right pieces on the bike in the lowest seat setting. Middle or high setting pushes the seat to far back to engage those two components. Also, when I do have the seat in place on the lowest setting, the smuggler trunk two tabs cannot slide under the clips on the bike as you are putting the trunk front seat hold down tab in place. It's like the the two mounting tabs are too far forward.

Well I got it to work (finally) in the mid position. I had to remove the back bracket on the seat and slide it forward so it would allow it to rest into the two tabs on the bike. Instructions didn't say anything about having to do this, although there are an extra set of holes in the pan. It will NOT work with the seat in the high position. To get the trunk to work, I had to bend the metal tabs on the trunk down so they could engage the retainers on the bike.

The seat is firm but adds lateral support. Very comfortable so far. The trunk is pretty spacious. Holds my iPad, tool kit, couple of water bottles, phone and still has room.

klaproth said:

In the BMW world...Corbin has a reputation for poor workmanship, marginal durability, and VERY poor customer service. This may have changed...

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I think it has changed, for sure. I rode to the Hollister Corbin factory last fall (just a short ride from where I live in Toronto, Canada) to have them make a seat for my ST 1300. The installer spent a full day and a half (12 hours) working with me to get the seat exactly the way I wanted it - he actually made three different seat bases until he got the foam density 'perfect' for my weight and preferences - then he spent hours and hours with me shaving little bits of foam off the seat until it fit me like an old comfortable sneaker. Although the seat was expensive (Corbin products are not cheap), I can't figure out how Corbin could have made any money on that seat, given the amount of labour they put into it to get it exactly the way I wanted it. The finest Saville Row tailor in London could not have matched the level of service Corbin gave me. It certainly made the 7,000 mile round-trip ride worthwhile, and I highly recommend to others that you visit in person to have your seat made. Make an appointment in advance, and if possible, try to go in the 'off season'.

V0X said:

I haven't had a chance to install it (the Smuggler trunk), hope to get my ST back today from shop. The fit and finish of the Smuggler is nothing short of OEM quality. The lid closes and secures like a door on a Mercedes.

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It's a good thing you haven't had a chance to install it yet. There is a wee little oversight in the design of the Smuggler trunk for the ST 1300, and that is that when the trunk lid is fully opened, the top center of the lid rests against the top center of the base structure. This will rapidly lead to abrasion of the paint on the surface of the lid where the two parts meet. I fixed this problem by putting a small piece of electrical tape over both the lid and the leading edge of the base (where it touches the lid). Plain old electrical tape was fine for my trunk, because my moto is black. If you have a different colour, go to a local tinting shop (one of the places that installs stone-guard film over the front of cars) and buy a couple of postage-stamp size pieces of clear film. Then affix the film in the two positions shown in the picture below, before you start opening the trunk lid. This will prevent frustrating scratches on the paint.

V0X said:

To get the trunk to work, I had to bend the metal tabs on the trunk down so they could engage the retainers on the bike.

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Me too. The Corbin installer told me that they adjust the fit so that the two forward tangs on the trunk make a very tight fit to the seat, this to prevent rattles. It may be necessary to do a tiny bit of fine-tuning to allow easy removal and replacement of the trunk, while still maintaining enough tension to prevent the trunk from rattling when it is installed.

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All things considered, I'm pretty happy with Corbin service and quality. Be aware, though, that their seats are 'firm', much like an equestrian saddle.

Michael

Areas on the Smuggler Trunk that need paint protection

I am a long term Corbin user/customer and have owned seven Corbin seats total. Some bought used, some ordered from CA, one in Daytona.

They all have these things in common:

They are hard, which I prefer.
They are leather, which I prefer.
They are comfortable, for me.
They need to be broken in.
New, they are a tight fit.
They are heavy.

Since about 2005, the customer service has been very good, even better in more recent years.
Also, during this time I have experienced no workmanship issues with any of these seats.

From 1999 til 2005, with my experience, the customer service at Corbin was the poster child for bad. It was all over the MC forums, and they have had a hard time overcoming this reputation, like any other business. Right now, three of my four bikes wear a Corbin, and I would not have anything else on them. The Harley has a leather Harley touring seat which is ok, but a Corbin would be better. Too bad, this model Corbin is just ugly, but my rear end may dictate I get one anyway.

thanks for the input guys. I've gotten about 100 miles on the new seat and I like the breath-ability of the leather and the wider lateral support. The mid-position is actually "perfect" for me now, whereas on the OEM, I ran it in high. The utility of the smuggler trunk is great. I think I will have a buddy at a local tint shop cut a piece of paint protection film per your recommendation. I had noticed the paint-on-paint issue, but the a single narrow piece of film should do the trick.

I like corbin so much that I'm going to buy one before I've even bought my ST !. I only wish they'd accept the standard backrest :-(