Corbin Seat.. installed!
Corbin Smuggler.. installed!
Test ride about 40 miles. My butt hurts. But the seat has potential. Frankly I rode about 250 the other day on the stocker, and it was better than my '04 by far. In comparison, the Corbin, as goes their reputation, is a brick. Now, that ain't necessarily a bad thing....
The seat is very well made and looks great. Sitting on it with my feet on the stock pegs, well, it's so so. With my 28 inseam, I don't get a whole lot closer to the ground because my thighs are kept too far apart (the seat is wide at the front). That's with me up at the front of the saddle, too. My reach is better, but it ain't the 1.5 inches I was expecting (that would make me flat foot). Realistically for me, it's more like 1/2 inch.... 3/4 at tops. I certainly am NOT flat footed. I'm going to have to lower the bike. Well, I don't HAVE to, but it's so easy for me to do that I probably will.
Cruising around, the seat feels pretty good. I think while carving, this '06 sear ought be be REAL nice.
With my Wild Bill highway pegs deployed and my legs stretched out, I'm back "in the pocket" and that actually feels REALLY nice (except for the hardness perhaps from needing broken in a LOT). My shoulder and wrist position while in the pocket is VERY nice. And I am certainly down in the bike more. That's what I get out of the seat being lower.. not ground reach, but tucked into the bike more. The "cone of silence" is now complete with the stock screen up all the way. Remember, though, I'm only 5' 6".
Someone commented on whether or not they thought that risers were even needed, and that's not far from the truth. Once I get my DH risers installed (maybe tomorrow or Monday), then we'll see where we...uh... sit.
Side note: Having the risers installed will make it more practical to lower the bike. For those of you worried out cable length, well, if you are short like me, you can raise the forks in the tree to compensate a little for the cable/hose length if you have DH risers on. Also, if you DO want to raise the forks, you just about HAVE to have risers because the adjusters on top of the tubes are just about hitting the bars as it is in OEM configuration. Raising the bars makes it better for raising the forks.
The Smuggler is VERY nice. The hasp/latch thingy is a POS, but the rest of the box is pretty nice, everything quality, fit and finish wise, and it's an excellent color match. There's quite a bit of space. Smitty's size 14s might even fit in there (we know 11.5s do!). I have an 8.5x11 envelope laying in the bottom, and it is almost flat.
The Smuggler lock does look like it can be adapted to the Yamaha lock. I'll try to get down to a locksmith tomorrow and see if they can swap out the tumblers. Might even try it myself, but you know that usually ends up costing me more.
So the Smuggler stays. The seat? Well, I'm going to give it a good workout over the weekend. I think it's a keeper, but it's too soon to tell. Like I said, it has potential. Just don't know if I'm going to get a chance to REALLY break me and it in before the WFO trip. I know the stock seat for me is a 250 mile seat anyway. I hope the Corbin gets a lot better than that.
