The Definitive Seat Thread

H

hurleygurlee

New member
I've been searching the forums concerning seats and the search function returns a ton of posts, 90% of have nothing to do with seats. If it's got a search word in the post guess what, it shows in the search results.

The original Road King seat didn't stay on the bike more the 400 miles, it pretty much sucked. 30 min and my butt was already starting to burn. Been using a Sundowner for the last 7.5k and works for an hour and half before the dreaded butt burn start to rear it's ugly head.

What I think I want:

I'm leaning towards a solo seat with back rest option and a passenger pillion.

The reason for this is I do most of my riding solo. Back and forth to work, around town and general local riding and I like the solo look. My bike is set-up to be a convertible, sometimes it a Road King, Sometime it's a Street Glide and sometime it's and Ultra. But most of the time it is in Street Glide mode running the fairing and the stereo.

However, Momma does ride with me at times and we are planning some trips, so I need it to be comfortable for her to.

Primary companies I'm looking at are, Mustang, Corbin & CC seats.

Mustang seems to be the most popular,

What I Like(Mustang), 17
 
My bike is a former cop Road King. It came to me with the air ride seat, which some guys love. It was comfy, for sure, but it was beyond ugly. It was covered in a cheap textured vinyl, and the final insult was the cheap plastic tray that covered the battery. I could have had the seat recovered in leather, and replaced the plastic frame cover with an aftermarket fiberglass one, but the cost of doing that was comparable to buying a new seat. I still might have considered doing that, but in the air ride seat, you are sitting bolt upright, which is nice for around the parking lot, but not so good on the road. I looked at fabricating a new mount that would have moved it back and down, but about that time, I threw up my hands and sold it.

Bought a Mustang solo with backrest. The seat is fairly comfortable, but I never used the backrest. I felt like I was being held on the bike, and if I ever needed to get off quickly, I didn't want to be dealing with the backrest. I'm not quite as spry as I was 40 years ago. I also felt the seat was a couple of inches too close to the tank. I like to stretch out a bit. I didn't care for the way the brackets were exposed at the rear. You can get some nice looking knurled nuts, but still, there are some other seats that have a nicer look, especially at the back end of the seat.

Sold the Mustang and bought a Corbin. It's firm, for sure, but the seating position is perfect. I have a pillion for it, for the very rare instances I have a passenger, but for the most part, I run the seat with a bare fender. It's great looking, and is great on long rides. Good for guys like me who like to stretch out. It does take some breaking in, but after about 6 weeks of getting on and off, it kinda molds to your butt. They're a little pricey, for sure, but I've never regretted the purchase. I didn't spend the extra 200 bucks for the backrest, since I'm not likely to use it anyway. To mount up the seat, I had to first bolt on a rear bracket that the seat snaps onto. At the front of the seat, there's a tongue that slides into a tab at the rear of the tank. Snap down the back of the seat onto the bracket and you're done. It comes off with a key. It looks good, is quick on and off, and relatively secure.
 
After trying a MCC-modified seat, I went with a Corbin DualTour. It is hands-down the most comfortable seat I've ever sat on. Corbins are very firm seats, but that's the key to long distance comfort for me. I suffer from Noassatall, so on a memory foam or cushy foam seat, I end up riding with my hips and tailbone directly on the seat pan with a thin layer of compressed foam in between.

The Corbin sits me close to the stock position, which is fine since I've got a 34" inseam and I'm more comfortable with my knees below my hips. The backrest has a hole in the center for airflow, and the seat is leather so it breathes. I spent over 13 hours in the saddle last Friday, around 4 hours Saturday, and another 8 on Sunday. Each day I could have ridden much farther. Even at the end of the ride on Sunday, I had no butt, back, or leg pain. I had no hot spots, no burning, no tingling, and no numbness.

Corbins aren't cheap, but then again you get what you pay for.
 
Seat threads pop up all the time. In your search you can adj the search to put your search word in the title only - that may help

To answer your question...

In my opinion - the only way you are going to get a seat to really fit YOU is to have it made to YOUR body / Bike and handle bars..

Not sure if C&C will do that or not.

To buy a seat off a phone call or order form and to get it to fit you correctly is "shot in the dark"

Biggest question is how long do you plan to be in this new seat??

I do a lot of "days" on the road and in the saddle.

Money is important but Fit is more..

I choose Corbin ONLY because I can ride to the Hollister factory - meet with the seat builder and have my seat made THAT day with me right there - going on several test rides and adj until it I say "thats perfect"

That is the way to buy a saddle to fit YOU..

Not everyone can ride to Central CA and get this done.

there are other makers out there that can build you a seat.

find someone who will work for you.

I am on my third HD since 96 - all have had a custom Corbin..

My last ride was in May of this year - 7421 miles and 28 states. I felt great when I got home

Iam 60 years old 5'6" and have had minor back problems - retired Fire Fighter.

A seat can be good looking but if your body hurts after a ride... the beauty goes away fast.
 
I like my fairly new Corbin Classic solo seat with Alligator textured leather a lot. It's a bit firm and will take some time to break in but it's a good looking setup. Easy on and off with a key. Took about 5 minutes to mount the hardware. I don't have a backrest yet.
 
Had the Corbin Classic solo for 5 years on my RKC. After about 500 miles break in it was great. On my 2010 EGC I went with C&C solo. Very nice looking seat, looks well made but I could not go more than 50 miles without tailbone hurting. The Corbin was firmer but fit well. Corbin is 15 1/2 in seat and C&C is 13 in wide. That was a big difference for me. I am now getting a new Corbin. Though many people are very happy with C&C.
 
I first had a Corbin Dual Tour and put about 40K miles on it. Firm but not too firm. The firmness worked for me, especially on week long all day rides. Very comfortable saddle.

I now have a Classic solo with a backrest and a Touring Passenger Pillion. My pass. pillion measures 13" across by the way. I bought it about 1 1/2 years ago so they may be not as wide now. I normally have only the solo and backrest installed. Very comfortable for all day rides and multiple day trips. I really appreciate the backrest.

Both of my Corbins were/are firm and I never noticed a change with a "break in" like others state. When I opened the box on my first one I thought the seat was just too firm. As soon as I installed it, sat on it, and went for a ride, I knew it was not too firm. It really feels good and comfortable. The leather seating area IMO is much better than the imitation leather of other brands for comfort. The firmness causes the seat to remain comfortable as there is no changing of shape over time and miles.

The Corbin is very expensive but other than the price I have no complaints. I highly recommend the Corbin.
 
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