What am I doing wrong with my new Corbin?

[weshsu]

I received my Corbin Canyon Dual Sport in Carbon Fiber today. It looks beautiful!

I've heard of all of the fitment issues people complained about, so I prayed that mine would fit. I read so many positive reviews on this board, so I ordered one.

Well, it doesn't fit. I've tried everything I can think of to get it to fit. I tried searching the board to see if there were others who have the same complaint (and more importantly suggestions on what I can do before I call Corbin and have to pay to ship it back). The only thing I didn't try was swapping out the latch bar from the stock seat. A quick eyeball shows that they look pretty darn identical (in distance from the eye holes to the bar), so I don't think it's going to help. But, I'll try it anyways.

The rear end is lifted a good 1/4" from the bike. The latch bar is also 1/4" too high. The middle of the seat is extremely snugged against the bodywork, and the front seems to have a decent fit. I just can't imagine that there would be THIS much variance in their product after a few years of making this seat.

Any suggestions? I hope I won't end up spending $100 in shipping costs to have this seat shipped back and forth a few times just to get it to fit.

Wes Hsu

[pdonnell]

You might be screwed shipping wise. Corbins fit too tightly to the S body work compared to stock. Also the rubber stops can slide off since unlike the OEM seat theres just one angle iron piece on the corbin to fit against the rubber stops.
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You may want to make very sure the latch bar is placed on the corbin the correct way. Sounds like your issues have only to deal with the latch bar. As I recall you should swap out the latch bar off the OEM seat and place it on the corbin.

[weshsu]

Well, I answered my own question soon after I posted the message.

I did swap out the latch bar with that from the stock seat, but it was shorter than the one Corbin supplied. I also turned the bar around which helped a little bit.

But, I decided to attack the problem from a different angle. Instead of trying to make the seat fit the bike, I tried to make the bike fit the seat. So, I raised the latch assembly by about 1/8 of an inch or so. That was enough for the seat to latch. Granted, the seat is not flush with the bike like the stock seat is, but it does latch tight. I'm hoping the seat pan will bend ever so slightly over time so I can slowly lower the latch assembly back down.

So, we'll see how this pans out. My and my pillion's comfort may outweigh the poor fit in the long run.

Wes Hsu

[ckcarr]

I have a Corbin. It isn't as bad as some people here say, nor is it as good as some people say. In hindsight I would not have been as quick to buy it. It gives a flatter, more upright firm ride without being pressed against the tank. But it is wider and more uncomfortable on my inner thighs than it should be.

But fitting it took a little finess, adjusting the latch bar and assembly around until it was adjusted properly.

[sfarson]

FWIW, a Corbin Smuggler on my S has been an outstanding purchase. Great fit, finish, and comfort. I took the bracket off my stock seat, placed on the Corbin, and it snapped it just like stock -- nice tight fit. Continue to work with the bracket to see if it helps you get a tighter fit.

Steve

[weshsu]

Originally posted by sfarson
FWIW, a Corbin Smuggler on my S has been an outstanding purchase. Great fit, finish, and comfort.

Steve,

This picture I saw you post a while ago is probably the biggest force behind my decision to buy Corbin. Your bike looks AWESOME with that Smuggler on!!! (and I'm very partial to dark gray vehicles)

Actually, the biggest factor was the fact that no one else has an integrated, yet easily removable backrest option for the seat. Right before I called Corbin, I called Sargent to see how their seat was going for the S. I was told anywhere from the end of February to the summer. When asked about a backrest option, they said "we'll start with the seat, then see if there's a demand for a backrest". Well, there's no way I'm adding some funky bracket to the back of my bike just to support a backrest. So, Corbin was my choice.

Although I'm not 100% happy with the fit, I think it looks great. So far, it looks like a quality piece, which makes me happy. Thanks to the 4-6 inches of snow we got last night, it'll be a while before I can go for my first ride. And, since my option was to either pay BMW about $280 for a replacement stock seat, or $400 for a Corbin, I thought I'd give Corbin a try.

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

Wes Hsu

[ikester]

Well congratulations, Wes. Gotta post a picture and show us your new acquisition!

[motoyoyo]

Wes, if you have a 2002 or newer R1100S I'm almost certain that you will have to swap out your seat latch from the stock seat to the Corbin. I read a post here that BMW has slightly changed the mechanism on the newer model seats.

As far as some folks waiting for Sargent to come out with their new seat, it does look delayed until Fall due to the extensive work on the seat base mold. However, you should be able to get the exact same seat made on your existing stock seat base. It is somewhere around $320 and it should be identical looking to the new one some of us are waiting for. I will probably go this route since my stock seat is driving me nuts and I have issues with the bulk and fit on the standard Corbins.

The Smuggler does look great and the storage space is very cool, but my bike is a custom color that I would never be able to match. If there wasn't a paint issue I would seriously consider the Smuggler regardless of any fit or weight issues. For now, the Sargent is going to be my choice.

[DanceswPavement]

A couple days ago, looking forward to enhanced comfort, won't be surprised thanks to the info here if I gotta jerry-rig it. Ironically, Corbin "touts" their "tighter fit" as an example of their extreme quality. Too bad Sargent f***ed around gettng their product out cuz it looks like quite a few of us woulda gone that direction. I just can't deal w/ that stock seat any longer. Maybe by the time the Corbin comes (3-4 weeks) riding weather will be here again!

[weshsu]

Originally posted by DanceswPavement
Ironically, Corbin "touts" their "tighter fit" as an example of their extreme quality.

Actually, where the fit is not too tight, I like that a lot better than the stock seat. The front and middle sections of my seat are very nice. It's just the rear doesn't quite fit.

can't deal w/ that stock seat any longer. Maybe by the time the Corbin comes (3-4 weeks) riding weather will be here again!

Don't be surprised if you see a charge on your credit card soon. I ordered mine on 20-Jan. They said they had a bunch of S seats in various colors in stock, but none in carbon fiber look. So, they told me to expect it in about 4 weeks. They charged my card on 30-Jan, and it arrived on 06-Feb via UPS Ground. Having it arrive 2 weeks earlier than expected was a pleasant surprise.

Wes Hsu

[Dave Hopkins]

Wes
What has the Carbon look? The fabric/leather/naugahyde? Or the smuggler glove box deal?? Can we get a foto?

[sfarson]

Originally posted by motoyoyo
The Smuggler does look great and the storage space is very cool, but my bike is a custom color that I would never be able to match. If there wasn't a paint issue I would seriously consider the Smuggler regardless of any fit or weight issues. For now, the Sargent is going to be my choice.

There is a paint shop nearby that has some kind of device where it will "read" the paint from a painted object and translate that into paint codes. Maybe you can bring your custom painted S to a paint shop and see if they can duplicate the paint, then buy an unpainted Smuggler.

Then again, if your custom paint has a pattern or different hues/different places... well, never mind.

[Joe]

Originally posted by Dave Hopkins
Wes
What has the Carbon look? The fabric/leather/naugahyde? Or the smuggler glove box deal?? Can we get a foto?

It's a imprint done in the leather looks good IMHO

This is my seat with 3 years of weathering.

[JerryTreeXprt]

Originally posted by sfarson
There is a paint shop nearby that has some kind of device where it will "read" the paint from a painted object and translate that into paint codes. Maybe you can bring your custom painted S to a paint shop and see if they can duplicate the paint, then buy an unpainted Smuggler.

I take care of trees for a living and at a commercial complex we installed steel brace rods in some trees near the main entrance. The folks in charge didn't like the looks of the steel rods in the trees' crotches, so rather than remove 'em and risk tree failure, I took some bark samples to Home Depot where they computer matched 'em and mixed up some paint. When I painted the rods it was unbelievable how well they matched the bark of the tree...you can barely notice 'em. The things you can do today.

[daveel]

I Had to send my corbin back twice. First they sent it in the wrong finish, then they sent it so the rough leather on the back, showed on the two points on the front. I insisted, and they paid shipping both times. I had to carve down the rubber bumpers at the front of the seat and shim out the latch mech. to get it to work. Crap for the $ IMO.
Dave

[motoyoyo]

Originally posted by sfarson

Then again, if your custom paint has a pattern or different hues/different places... well, never mind.

My bike was originally that Dog Dic Pink color that is so lovely. The original owner of my '99 R11S had a custom paint job done on the bike that has those color changing hues. It is a basic deep metallic blue and morphs to a purple hue in certain lights. He said it was left over paint from a custom auto paint job, something like $900 a quart. It looks pretty good, but I think I would have prefered his first color choice which was going to be a BMW auto color, Estoril Blue. That would have been much easier to deal with and looked awesome too. I'll post a pic of it some day in the "Show your Bike" thread.

[weshsu]

Originally posted by ikester
Gotta post a picture and show us your new acquisition!

The "carbon fiber" leather is on the seating surfaces. The sides are vinyl.



A closeup of the "carbon fiber" leather.




See the poor fit in the rear? I had to raise the latch mechanism to get this to latch.


But, I do like the close fit on the sides and front.

[DanceswPavement]

Thanks for the pix. Now i'm excited instead of bummed.