My review of the Corbin Stinger

[mdc]

So I ordered this seat about 2 months ago and have put over 2000kms on it so far ... I wanted to wait awhile before I really judged it and I think it is at the point where it is broken in properly.

Just a small history ... I was one of those guys who absolutely hated the stock seat. After an hour of riding without a break (which I do often), I was uncomfortable to the point of not really enjoying the ride anymore ... I tried every posible position on the seat and couldn't find any position that did it for me. I never ride two up (for me my bike is my time) so passenger comfort was never a consideration for me (which is why I choose the Stinger over the alternatives)

Installation was a piece of cake. The only difficult part was actually snapping the lock into place. I basically couldn't bang it into place with my hand and had to sit on the bike and bounce up and down like a gorilla until it clicked in. Other than that, the fit is perfect and IMO looks great. Follows the lines of the M50 nicely. The one thing that is very clear is that there is absolutely no way that a passenger would be comfortable for more than 10 minutes ...

My first ride was the best one. The difference was really evident. It was comfortable and more supportive. You feel lower (but I don't think you are) and because it is kind of craved out a little more than the stock, there is a nice support of the lower back. It was a little stiff, but you could tell that it would break in a little. Overall, I was impressed, but not blown away.

Fastforward to this weekend ...

The seat is now broken in and it is comfortable, but the seat is far from perfect ...

My impressions:

- The feeling of discomfort sets in at about 90 minutes (as opossed to 60 minutes the stock seat did). This is not a huge issue because most people take breaks at about this point anyway. For what it cost, I thought the problem would go away, but it is acceptable I guess.

- I bought the plain black version of the seat and it looks nice on my black M50, BUT the leather scuffs and gets dirty just by looking at it. I like to ride on Icon Superduty boots because they are comfortable, but supportive. I am not that tall (5'9") and when I get off of the bike, occasionally my boot will brush over the seat. This leaves a mark on the seat that it is a PITA to get off. Touching the seat with anything but perfectly clean hands leaves marks as well. While parked, a bird decided to use my seat as a bathroom ... while I was able to get the waste off right away, it did leave the outline behind and there is nothing I can do it get it off. The stock seat never had this problem ... This REALLY bothers me as I like a clean bike.

- I let my buddy ride the bike for about an hour (I got to ride his Sportster) and he didn't like the feel of the seat. I thought it was too narrow for his butt ... granted he is a lot bigger than I am (6' about 230 lbs. vs my 185). The seat feels about right for me, but for larger people, it may be slightly narrow.

For me the seat is a nice improvement, but for what you get, I find that it is overpriced. While there was an improvement, the improvement wasn't amazing to the point where you feel like the money was absolutely worth it. I do like the way it looks, but you have to sit in it just right to be comfortable. Sitting forward even 2 inches is impossible ...

If the stock seat really bothers you, it is probably worth the upgrade, but if comfort is the biggest consideration, the touring seats are probably a lot more comfortable (though I find they look unattractive on the bike ... too bulky). Also, I wish the material quality was better ... my seat already looks older than my bike even though the seat is less than 2 months old ...

If anyone has any questions, I'll do my best to answer them ...

[digitalbroccoli]

great write up! I've been looking into the stinger, and the saddleman profiler, and I haven't been able to come to a decision yet. I'm 6'1 225 or so, and the corbin looks very skinny, and the profiler looks skinny too, but less so.

[conrad]

I was also considering the Stinger, but I think the Classic Solo would be the best bet for comfort. Thanks for the report!

[Frizzy79]

I am getting ready to take the plunge on a Saddleman Profiler. I have read many good reviews on it and the price is much more affordable $237 shipped..

[Rickb1415]

Originally Posted by Frizzy79

I am getting ready to take the plunge on a Saddleman Profiler. I have read many good reviews on it and the price is much more affordable $237 shipped..

A buddy of mine bought his bike used and the profiler was on it when he got it. I have driven the bike, its a pretty nice seat. I was thinking about getting it, but ran into an old friend of mine yesterday and found out his father (who owns a leather company) has ventured into also doing custom motorcycle seats over the last 2 years, so im gonna see what I can do about getting him to do something cheaper.

[Mavman]

Originally Posted by Rickb1415

A buddy of mine bought his bike used and the profiler was on it when he got it. I have driven the bike, its a pretty nice seat. I was thinking about getting it, but ran into an old friend of mine yesterday and found out his father (who owns a leather company) has ventured into also doing custom motorcycle seats over the last 2 years, so im gonna see what I can do about getting him to do something cheaper.

Frizzy,

These reviews........their from people that have an M50?



Rick,

is your buddies bike an M50 also?.....I was under the impression that saddleman hadn't actually been selling/shipping anything out for the M yet......

[Frizzy79]

I think a couple were on M's, but the majority were Honda Aero's, Vtx's, and Harley's.

[digitalbroccoli]

they've been shipping/selling for a while. I've actually seena few pictures of an installed one, (a member here has it, I can't remember the name, of course...lol)

237? that's gotta be phatperformance and the saddlehyde. I want the tattoo. I know the flames are sort of ove rthe top, but my butt's going to cover them most of the time anyway.

[Frizzy79]

Actually, I really like the flames, but since I am going to be sitting on it more than looking at it I figured the cost wasn't worth it. Btw, yes phatperformance is the absolute cheapest I could find it.

[Mavman]

Originally Posted by digitalbroccoli

they've been shipping/selling for a while. I've actually seena few pictures of an installed one, (a member here has it, I can't remember the name, of course...lol)

237? that's gotta be phatperformance and the saddlehyde. I want the tattoo. I know the flames are sort of ove rthe top, but my butt's going to cover them most of the time anyway.

Ok, I found this.......for the explorer. Well shoot, someone outa' get the profiler so's we can do a comparison between that one and the corbin.

http://www.motorcycle-journal.com/fo...30-post12.html

[Rickb1415]

Originally Posted by Mavman

Frizzy,

These reviews........their from people that have an M50?



Rick,

is your buddies bike an M50 also?.....I was under the impression that saddleman hadn't actually been selling/shipping anything out for the M yet......

That'd be a negative.. he has a VTX with the profiler.. I've actually never seen anyone on an M50 in person besides myself.. it would be cool to have one of my buddies get one lol

[hammersfan]

[techgesture]

Originally Posted by hammersfan

+ 1

[Frizzy79]

I ordered the Profiler yesterday. It is to ship in 4-5 business days which means I might get it next Friday. I will take some pics if I can figure out how to upload to the site. Haven't tried it yet

[digitalbroccoli]

I'll be interested in seeign it installed. My only question is if the seat pushes you forward a tick.

[Frizzy79]

I hope not. They advertise it as seating you lower down in the seat and it looks like on the phatperformance website that it is tilted back a bit at the tank.

[mdc]

I have to revise my statement after this weekend ... took a 4 hour road trip and we didn't break once because we were having such a great time ... I must say that I never had any pain due to sitting so long ... it was great. Not only was there no discomfort, but I was really relaxed. The position was vert nice and the padding held up perfectly ... I really enjoyed the ride and the seat is usually the low point of the day ... today was the opposite

Maybe as the seat gets more and more broken it, it gets more comfortable. The seat held up really well ... my elbows were really hurting, but my ass was fine

On the downside, when we stopped for dinner at the end of the trip (before heading home), it rained a lot (one of those 20 minute thunderstorms that throws sheets of water down and then it is sunny again) ... the water marks all over the seat looked like crap ... after I wiped the seat down, you could see where all of the water spots are ... when I get home tonight, I will try to clean it better, but I am not sure the water marks will come off ...

[Mavman]

Originally Posted by mdc

On the downside, when we stopped for dinner at the end of the trip (before heading home), it rained a lot (one of those 20 minute thunderstorms that throws sheets of water down and then it is sunny again) ... the water marks all over the seat looked like crap ... after I wiped the seat down, you could see where all of the water spots are ... when I get home tonight, I will try to clean it better, but I am not sure the water marks will come off ...

Well hopefully they will, I'd certainly be pissed if they didn't considering how expensive the seats are. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

But hey....at least the ride was a very enjoyable/comfortable one for ya.