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Most comfortable SEAT

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35K views 35 replies 26 participants last post by  steveSLO  
#1 ·
i have used the search and found out the Gel Seat isn't as popular as I thought it was.

I have seen corbin and sergant are the two top choices?

I found 1 review from someone close to my size that liked the corbin better bc of it keeping him low. I am 5'9" and around 230

08 sv650s
 
#4 ·
Gel seat was by far the worst thing I've sat on. Got some decent money in the sale of it though. I've heard mixed reviews about spencer. Great reviews from both Corbin and Sargent...

I stayed cheap and went from oem gel to just the normal oem seat. Sucks after a couple hours, but nothing a walk around at gas station doesn't fix.
 
#5 ·
Yeah, the corbin seat is about 1" lower than stock. The gel is terrible because it gets superheated in the sun and then once hot takes forever to cool back down.

Corbin, Sargent, Great day to ride, gel or whatever will make some difference. It will never feel like a recliner though.
 
G
#6 ·
I've had a sargent seat on my SV for about 5k miles. It has been a great seat and I think it's worth the price. Last summer I went on a road trip out west. Did about 800 miles straight, only stopping for gas. I would've died on the stock seat. As for the Corbin, I also hear that they are great seats. I've also heard that their customer service is horrendous.
 
#8 ·
Spencer does a gel insert under memory foam that stays cool and improves the comfort of the stock seat, all for less than $100, including shipping both ways.

The only knock I've ever heard against him is that he is limited in what he is willing to do. He will only re-cover your seat with it's stock cover. No custom covers. He will reshape your seat and even lower it a bit, but he refuses to make it any higher. Other than that, I've only seen praise for his work.

IMO, try him first. If you're still not happy, you can buy a Corbin or a Sargent, or even a custom seat, then sell your Spencer-modified seat to someone else and get your money back for his mods. If you like his mods, you've just saved yourself over $400.

http://greatdaytoride.com/Home_Page.phphttp://greatdaytoride.com/
 
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#11 ·
+1 on Spencer
I have had two seats re-worked by him - first class workmanship.

I purchased a Corbin seat for the Mrs SV - the workmanship on that was extremely poor.
Mounting bracket came reversed which scratched tank while attempting to install.
Even when re-oriented correctly, holes would still not line up and had to shave bunch of material off the pan in order to re-position the bracket to fit.
Corbin Customer service was non-existant - in spite of multiple e-mails (impossible to phone) they completely ignored my correspondence with zero response.

cfreger said:
....The only knock I've ever heard against him is that he is limited in what he is willing to do. He will only re-cover your seat with it's stock cover. No custom covers.
Click to expand...
Not true .... read on .........
(He will not MAKE a custom cover, but WILL install a pre-made custom cover from approved vendors - he even lists these in his FAQ)

In contrast, Spencer even installed an enclosed replacement cover (from Sargent) at the same time as the pad mod - at no additional charge!
His actual words were "I have to reinstall a cover anyway after the rework, so whether original or new is same work - happy to do it."
Check with him first however!

I puchased the Sargent SportSkinz covers for both my TL & Triumph seats, in their CarbonFX finish
even though he doesn't specifically list Sargen covers, he did share that their covers are quality work & good fit so had no qualms about accepting it.
So the result was what looks like a brand new seat, with improved pad for about half the cost of a new Corbin

Image


Image


Image
 
#9 ·
Spencer did my seat and I have mixed feelings on it. I had him do the Long Distance mod with the Supracor and he also said he could lower it about 1". It is comfortable and I have done 3 hour rides on it without any problems. My only complaint is that it isn't as low as I thought it would be. I've put about 700 miles on it so hopefully that's enough break in time. Costs was about $105 including shipping. Very cost effective and it feels great, just not as low as I thought it could go but I guess that's a trade off on comfort.

I'm going to email him to see if it can't be brought down lower as I'm 5'3" with about a 28" inseam. I'm able to tip toe the bike or easily one leg it, but it's a little hard to back the bike out of a spot unless it's on absolutely level ground.
 
#10 ·
$400???

my Corbin was only $284 SHIPPED from Corbin!!

Sargent seats ARE more $$, i rode a budds SV with one, it 'stuck' ya to the seat to much, the Corbin is much easier to move around on...


oh BTW, this is my SECOND Corbin...had over 39K on the seat when the SV was KIA...
 
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#36 ·
weasel said:
$400??? the Corbin is much easier to move around on...
Click to expand...
+1 I have loved all my Corbin seats on other bikes. On my SV Sargent's better for me, but maybe a little too planted.
Gel seat was too high, Spencer's was just right. If it's not low enough, he will bring it down for you.
He can also adjust the softness, and will work with custom covers if they are already installed, iirc
 
N
#16 ·
Got my Corbin in the mail at home yesterday. Of course I can't try it out until I get home:mad: but am looking forward to trying it out. Paid $187 brand new on flea bay. :D I will definitely let you all know how it feels.
 
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#20 ·
I ride up near the tank, so Corbin, Sargent, and Spencer were all out of contention. Still too narrow and uncomfortable where I need it.

Picked up a used gel seat that's good for about 2-3 hours before it irritates me. Still not great, but it will suffice until I build the stock pan up to my liking.
 
#25 ·
the Shifty Jesus said:
I ride up near the tank, so Corbin, Sargent, and Spencer were all out of contention. Still too narrow and uncomfortable where I need it.
Click to expand...
I ride up on the tank too so why would Spencer be out of contention? I had him do my seat and I can ride 2-3 hours no problem. I haven't had an opportunity to go further, but you'd start running out of gas anyways and have to dismount.

Oh and he wasn't able to lower it any further than he had originally.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Consider trying a strap-on pad such as an Alaska Leather (Pillion 1) or a bead seat. The bead seats seem hard to many folks, but they provide good airflow and keep your crotch cool. Airhawk pads also have good reps. The brave can DIY - http://www.diymotorcycleseat.com/
I bought a seat off ebay and had Spencer mod it. It was better than the OEM seat, but I eventually decided to try a Sargent seat w/an AlaskaLeather pad on it.
 
P
#24 ·
I also have mixed feelings about Spencer's seat. Had the LD upgrade done as well for my SV, and have put right around 6-7k miles on it, hoping it would get more comfortable.

Its more comfortable then stock, but not enough. I'd be fine on the stocker for about 50 miles, the Spencer mod made it closer to 100 miles, but anything longer than that and you're in the same amount of pain as the stocker. Emailed him to see if he could do anything else, i.e. reshape, etc, but said no.

I'm on the skinnier end, so don't have as much natural padding. 5'10" 145lbs.

If I had to do it again, I'd go straight to a Sargeant and add an inch or so to lessen the angle on the knees.

That being said, the quality of the work and turnaround with Spencer is pretty good, just didn't meet my expectations as far as comfort.

Anyone wana buy my Spencer?
 
S
#32 ·
I'm also 6'3"......forget about the Corbin. My K8 naked was fitted with one by the PO. I found that the lower height (in comparison to stock) just gave away too much legroom. However, calling the stocker a 'plank' is an insult to 2X4s everywhere.......The first change I made was to order the accessory gel seat, and it along with the Buell footpeg mod made the amount of legroom a LOT better for me.

P.S. Anybody out there wanna buy a LIKE NEW Corbin rider/passenger set?
 
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