Quick Seat related question.

[nylife]

I am in the process of changing my seat and narrowed it down to 3 seats.
Corbin, Sargent or BMW Comfort

Corbin and Sargent seem to be same price, BMW being more expensice

here is the question for Corbin people after doing a search i see a lot of people complained about the fit, has anyone got Corbin seat lately has the fit improved? For those that have a seat and had issues with fitting, did it improve with time?
On corbin website they only offer 1 height(and dont say what it is), can anyone tell me what it is? I currently have standard height seat.

Sargent seems to be a the best bet for the money, minus having to send your seat to them.

Anyone knows of BMW comfort seat being on sale somewhere?

Any other comments, suggestions are welcome

Thanks to all and happy holidays

[mogu83]

The only issue I had with the Corbin was the seat latch. I had to add a couple of small flat washers under the latch to make it work right (search for info and pictures). It was also hard to unlatch the seat to remove it at first but as promised by Corbin after a few months that seemed to cure itself. The fit and finish on my seat was very good. I was hesitant about the leather seat thinking it would be a problem in the rain and also a headache to maintain, but neither of those concerns has been a problem. I think the seat may be about 3/4 inch (15mm) higher than the stock seat (IMHO)
My only regret was when I ordered mine they had one on the shelf ready to go and I took it, BUT it had the back rest connection installed. Not a big thing but I'll never use a back rest and the velcro cover over the hole is annoying to look at, I should have waited for them to make a seat without the connection. Good news is when I put the luggage rack on you can't see the back of the seat.
BTW: The stock BMW luggage rack lines up perfectly with the back of the Corbin seat giving you a lot of flat area to tie stuff on the bike.

[nylife]

cant seem to find a thread with pictures, just tons of post about washers, but not actual pictures

[mogu83]

The things we go through to help each other. If I catch phenomena from going out in that freezing garage to take these pictures I'll blame you.

Here's a picture of the latch on the bike. You can almost see the thin washers under the latch:


Here's one of the bottom of the Corbin seat. The part that goes into the latch on the bike. You can see the heavier washers under the latch. The washers under the latch on the bike weren't enough so I added these. Actually I think I could take them out now (in warmer weather).



I went with the Corbin because I didn't want to put the money into the stock seat pan as IMHO it's too flimsy. The holes in the forward part that slide into the pegs that hold the seat down were starting to crack at 10K. The Corbin is about twice the weight as the standard seat but looks like it's built to last. At the time I got my seat Sargent was reusing the stock pan.

[dcameron]

Just put a leather Rick Mayer seat on my R1200 - it is very comfortable, looks great and would suggest you check him out. Uses your seat pan and re-works it. I was fortunate to go in for the in shop fitting since I am only about 3 hours away. A great experience overall. Fit and finish very good.
I have a Corbin on my R1150. Different saddle altogether. Very comfortable but leather not as supple as the Mayer and a harder feel overall. What I didn't like is they use their own pan and the front rubbed up against the tank and marred the finish. It is nice to be able to keep your stock seat while waiting for the Corbin to arrive though.
My $.02 worth.

[nylife]

Thanks for the pictures, much apreciated

[dcameron]

Oops! Should have mentioned my R1200 came with the high comfort seat. As usual stock seat good for about 30-45 minutes before monkey butt syndrome sets in and becomes very uncomfortabe. Don't waste your money - get a good custom seat instead. Now it''s $.04 worth.

[rokinrider]

Plus one for Sargent!!! I test rode mine yesterday!!! 45 degrees in Iowa...I posted pics in the post Santa Farkle

[nylife]

anyone ever heard of http://www.barrettseats.com/bmw-r1200r-pictures-.html?

[objectuser]

I hadn't, but that seat looks nice ... cool stitching.

[Chumley]

I have had at least one of each and many, many Corbins.

I am aways leery of ordering an aftermarket seat since I believe you need to be custom fitted at the shop for them to realize their full potential. But with that said I have to admit that my Sargent is one of the best seats I have ever had and it was ordered long distance.

I originally ordered my Bill "Rocky" Mayer seat using photographs as described on their website and it was just all wrong. I ended up riding in for a fitting and found him to be somewhat abrasive and didn't really listen to what I was saying and ultimately resulted in a seat I ditched for another Corbin a year later. However riding to Ojai for the fitting and the way his wife treated everyone with bagels and such would make me consider doing it again if I manage the process better next time, even if it means arguing a bit with Rocky.

The Corbins need a couple thousand miles to break in properly and then you have a well fitting seat but be prepared for a hard seat to begin with. The Corbins however need to be inspected carefully when received. I have had several that went back for corrections but then I live 30 miles away and it was easy for me.

The Sargent seat was an effort in trust and the great reviews they get from many here. I did speak with the sales folks and they were very good about making sure that I got a bit of a custom fit with my descriptions. It may be bone stock but it works well and the leather is nice but a little thin (like Mayer vs thick like Corbin). Of all of the three the Sargent comes closest to doing what I want without a ride in fitting. One thing I found at Sargent was that they have occasional sales, like possibly now before Daytona fires up, maybe...

No matter which one I ordered I would talk to someone at the factory and try to tell them what you want. Most of these guys will try to do what you ask and offer some kind of correction (it may be a one time is free kind of thing but nothing is free). I would be engaged in the process. It's your money.

Good luck and tell us what you picked and how it worked out.

[nylife]

Spoke with Sargent and they way i want the seat made would cost me extra 100 and will be nonrefundable.

Standard seat height is 31.5
Low is 30.3
Sargent Standard is 31.875 i asked if it can be made in between like 31inches, that costs extra 80, for a seat that's already custom and you have to send you seat to them i am not sure why there is an extra and that much.
Reason i wanted slightly lower then standard is with standard height i am on tip toes, which is fine and works for me, but adding extra to seat concern me, as well as going to low seat as that would put more pressure on my knees i think, so i thought 31 would be perfect me, not low not high just right, but at the extra cost i have to think about it.

am i over thinking/over engineering this?

[objectuser]

Do they change the structure of the seat, in terms of how your legs might be more or less free to reach the ground?

One thing I always tell people about the Russell (besides that it's awesome! ) is it makes it harder to reach the ground because of those wings it has. So maybe the Sargent does something similar.

Either way, I think you're right to think it through. If you're just about at the limit now, just a little more can certainly put you over it.

[SDMAX]

I bought a used Rick Mayer for my R1200R. As I later learned you can tell the difference from his brother Rocky's seat by the fact that Rick has stiching patterns on his and Rocky's are smooth.

(Just remembered, the Rick seat was done from photographs as I bought it from a guy here in San Diego who had bought the bike with the Rick seat from original owner in the mid west so it was done from pictures. I talk about drive in seat below....my Rick seat proves it can be done by mail. Guy sold me the seat because it sits tall and he was short; tall now that I ride better is good because it gives the leg some length which is good for comfort....I also have the Illium foot pegs....probably would not do that again...just do the Santa Barbara Mike trick and throw your leg over the cylinder jug for a while...)

I live in San Diego, so when I bought a Victory I rode it up to Ojai for a custom seat from Rocky. Stayed at the motel down the street; used the community bicycle from the motel to ride down the street to a great dinner; got to Rocky when they opened. Very informal; Seat was adjusted to me several times; out of there by noon.

Basically they use your pan; then they put a real seat into it and glue on special foam. The real seat gets buried but once I'd seen it, I know its outline and I can see it in the brother Rick seat too. It's kind of like a tractor seat....

They get it right as to hot spots etc; then I had it covered in leather. Cash works a discount.

The brothers are not tight. I think both products are great. I was concerned that my used Rick on the R1200R was not perfect, but now, I've decided that it is perfect. The Ojai Rocky on the Victory is great too. The rating factor for a drive in seat is that Rick is in Northern Californina. Rocky is in Southern California.

I'm lucky I live in California. I think that drive in for a custom seat is well worth the effort if at all possible.

Before I bought the used Rick, I had purchased a low comfort from BMW. Great seat...it's actually standard height and now stock on the later R1200R's but I still think the custom seat is better.

I only met Rocky when it was time to pay the money. The actual seat was made by a man who has been with him forever and left no question that he knew what he was doing.

Both brothers learned from their father who invented the Day Long and later sold the concept.

Either Mayer is fine. Custom is the correct choice. I noted the comments about breaking in a Corbin. If the seat is right, it should not require break in; I supposed where the hot spots were would eventually break in; it was better to simply have them trimmed off; good fitting seat makes all the difference.

Every bike is different. I have a Ducati Monster with the upgrade seat previous owner bought. It's fine. But, the Ducati is a 100 mile ride bike; no real wind screen either but flows air from the little fly screen perfectly. It's all different. It's all good. Rock on. Ride safely.

[objectuser]

There happens to be a nice used Bill Mayer seat for the R1200R for sale on eBay right now.

[SDMAX]

Bill Mayer ---is "Rocky" for those trying to figure the brothers Mayer out...