the corbin dished seat -- an informal review

[mrborkum]

Ok, so I've decided to get a centerstand. Adventure Motogear sells a couple of different models in the $140-150 range, and Dual Star has their own for around $160. Given that they are all around the same price, is there any reason to choose, say, a Dual Star centerstand over a $140 SW-Motech centerstand? Thanks for your help, Mike B. Boston, MA

[mrborkum]

I ordered this seat from Corbin back in April and took delivery of it last week. . Corbin first checks their facilities in California and Florida and, if they find your model, they offer you the chance to order from stock. The advantage is immediate delivery but you don't have any say over the colors or options as the seats have already been made. As they had no dished seats for the KLR in stock, I ordered a custom one and waited the requisite 5 weeks for delivery and shipping. I was able to choose the colors and fabric styles for the top, sides, and piping. I chose all smooth black material (their "standard") and "Harley Blue" piping between the top and sides. The blue was the best match for my 1997 KLR. Price was around $250 delivered. Here are the positives: 1. The seat fit perfectly using the stock hardware. It fit snugly and without any of the horror stories that you've heard about other custom seats not fitting correctly. 2. The workmanship was top notch. Everything from the fabric to the piping to the plastic base were perfectly stitched and formed. As with any custom work, the name of the builder was attached to the bottom on the seat. 3. As someone who is 5'8, I really wanted a lower seat height without sacrificing comfort. Due to the dished shape of the front part of the seat, the seat height is lowered by around 1.5 inches without any additional lowering hardware. The extra inch and a half makes a real difference when you're short, and this seat provides the extra contact area on the bottom of the foot to guarantee a more secure feeling when stopping on slippery inclines or hills. Some things to note: 1. In order to lower the stock height by 1 and a half inches, the front of the seat is scooped into a kind of a "U" shape which nestles the driver. When riding in the "scoop", there is a sense that you are riding low in a vehicle which is otherwise big. It's hard to explain, but think of being in a bicycle where the frame is too large for you so you push the seatpost all the way to the bottom so you can fit. It's kind of like that feeling, but not as extreme. 2. While in the scoop, all of the KLR650's geometry stays the same. So you are lower on the seat, but the bars and grips are where they've always been, as well as the pegs, foot controls, and other controls. This causes your riding position to change slightly. It wasn't a big deal for me, but noticeable. 3. Riding in a scoop is a bit of a change. You definitely are held securely in the seat, but the pressure on your butt is different than on the stock seat. I found the Corbin to be much more comfortable than the stock seat after around 20 minutes. Before then the stock seat is actually more comfortable for me. Conclusions: The Corbin is a reasonable, if not cheap, way to lower you KLR without affecting other stock settings and provides a comfortable seating area for longer rides or, in my case, for daily commutes. One must get used to the feeling of sitting in a "dish" and to the change in body positions necessary to reconcile the lowered seat height with the otherwise stock geometry. It would be interesting to hear from those who use this seat in conjunction with lowering links. Mike B Boston, MA