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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
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Message started by Scott McCrory on 04/17/12 at 08:39:00

Title: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by Scott McCrory on 04/17/12 at 08:39:00

Hi all, I'm LOVING my 2006 S40. It's my first bike and have put 400 miles on it in just a month. Great acceleration, nice and light, looks great, relatively simple to work on, the whole bit...

That said, I'm 5' 9" and am starting to feel cramped in my lower back with a numb butt after a 45-60 minutes of riding. Eventually I'd also like to have a passenger with me once in a while and am told the factory rear seat and sissy bar may not be good for more than 30 minutes. Highway speeds are a little spooky too, but that may just be my inexperience.

I've seen here that people really like the Corbin seat and forward controls by Ed or Routy. So, if you had to decide, would you personally be inclined to plunk down $300 on the seat, $150-ish on forward controls or channel the cash into a bigger bike in the 650-850cc range? You know what i'm thinkin already, I still really like the non-intimidating, flickable simplicity of the S40, but longer-range comfort isn't the best.

Opinions desired! :D
Scott

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by verslagen1 on 04/17/12 at 09:06:20

It's been said that our seat is the worst and corbin is the best.
And suzuki seats are the worst of all brands.
Of course this depends on the use and the user.

You'll also note that corbin seats are made for just about everything.
That should give you a clue, no matter what bike you get, you may end up buying a seat for it anyway.

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by arteacher on 04/17/12 at 09:18:03

I have the Corbin and Routy's forward controls. Both made a big difference, if you want to keep the bike. I recently came into some money and started looking at bigger bikes, notably the Triumph America. After thinking long and hard I decided to keep the S 40 for the very reasons you like yours.

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by Dj12midnit on 04/17/12 at 09:31:04

I vote keep the 40 for the around town riding, and get the c50 for long range.

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by Scott McCrory on 04/17/12 at 10:34:01

I appreciate the input guys, keep it coming if you think it hasn't been voiced.

Do you think the seat alone would be the best help, or the FCs by themselves? Or would both be needed? Maybe that's where my personal watermarks would be before upscaling to a larger bike...

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by arteacher on 04/17/12 at 10:44:38

Get the seat first. The only reason I got forward controls (I am also 5'9") is because of my arthritis.

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by Serowbot on 04/17/12 at 10:45:41

Try the seat lift mod... (Tech section)...
After that,.. I really like the stock seat...
Corbin's are hard as rock (okay, let's just say firm)... Some riders like that.
Maybe good for heavier folks... not comfy for me at all..

My butt gets tired of sitting after an hour in any seat.. even a lazyboy...
Thank god for small gas tanks... :-?...

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by teabowl13 on 04/17/12 at 11:15:44

I'd also like to point out that you stated out telling us that this is your first bike, and you've only put about 400 miles on it.
That's NOT a lot of time in the saddle at all; on any bike. You really are still getting to know the bike; how it works, the way it rides and what works for you. My advice would be you spend this Summer really learning the bike, and learning to ride before you think about plunking down a lot more money for a lot more bike. Not that you shouldn't do that eventually, but if you get to know how you ride, you'll know a lot more about what you want in a bike when it;s time to go shopping.

Every bike out there has seat issues. I've had Corbin seats on 4 different bikes; I loved the first one, hated all of the others; they are different for every bike, and every butt. There are much simpler, less expensive things you can try first; the seat mod is a great place to start. A number of guys here have also used Harley seats on their stock Savages; you can look that up.

My other bike is a Nighthawk 750, which I use for long distance rides and camping trips. I liked the stock seat OK, but didn't love it. I sent it to SPENCER'S seat mod, and I got the full works done for $150. Other guys here have used him as well. I absolutely love it! I can ride a 6-8 hour day, and get up and do it again the next day. I doubt you'll get that out of any Savage, but I like to ride all day, and after 45 minutes, I'm not even warmed up yet! Here's the link:

http://greatdaytoride.com/Home_Page.php

Keep it simple! ;D

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by Scott McCrory on 04/17/12 at 12:26:55

Fantastic advice teabowl13 and serowbot - ill try the lift mod and gain more experience, perhaps trying another seat and learning what the major factors to my ride are in the process.

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by babyhog on 04/17/12 at 13:21:36

You are braver than I am to carry a passenger being a new rider yourself. Its totally different than riding alone, and if your passenger is new to riding, please go over some safety tips with them first. They need to know when to lean and when not to lean, all that good stuff to not throw off a new rider like yourself.

Having put in my motherly 2cents, I agree with teabowl, ride by yourself for a while, get the feel of the bike and your own personal riding style before shelling out a bunch of money on options that you may or may not really need. Try some cheap seat pads, or sheepskin covers. Try all kinds of different things, within reason of course. I initially wanted a bigger bike, but have grown to love my S40 and can't imagine changing. Just mod the crap outta this one and make it my own. (Still dream of a Triumph America though!)

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by scottnj on 04/17/12 at 13:43:11

I got my S40 last year and it's my first bike. I'm 6' and 220 lbs and every salesmen tried to talk me into a bigger bike, except for the one salesman I talked to who had owned a Savage. I went with the S40 because I thought it was a better first bike for the reasons you mentioned. After about 5,000 miles, I still like it. At first, I couldn't stand the stock seat for more than an hour, but after putting on Ed L's forward controls, it's been great -- much more comfortable. I've done 12 hours in one day on the stock seat w/o a problem. For me it was great bang for the buck. You might like it too. Whether you try the lift, forward controls, or corbin, I recommend putting some miles on the bike and seeing what it can do. Hopefully a combination of a few mods and some saddle time will help you get more comfortable!

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by greenmonster on 04/17/12 at 14:24:55

With only 400 miles, your seat hasn't broken in yet. :)

I actually found that the seat lift mod made a world of difference for my comfort. I'd still like a new seat, but it can wait until I've done a lot of other things now.

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by Scott McCrory on 04/17/12 at 16:38:24

Y'all are fantastic, thank you for the advice! It's actually a 2006 S40 with 3800 miles on it (400 are mine), so the seat is probably broken in :) but just not terribly friendly to my arse's geometry. ;D

On the side I'm a private pilot experienced with risk management, so indeed, no passengers for a while - I'm taking that nice and slow. I actually bought the S40 against friend's recommendation for something bigger because I wanted to get my basic skills without struggling with a top-heavy monster. I was also compelled by the low-RPM performance of the S40 for urban, suburban and ex-burban driving, which is about 90% of what I'll use it for, though I would like to try a few 4-6 hour trips. I shelled out for a new multi-layer ballistic nylon body armored jacket and pants, a SNELL/DOT full-face white helmet, armored leather riding gloves and lightweight durable over-ankle boots. A little overkill perhaps, but I wanted to give myself extra protection while I get through the first 6-12 months of experience (I can shed the liners when it gets hot and still have the armor on). In July I'm taking the MSA basic rider's course and will have the full M endorsement at the end. I'll try to take the advanced course later in the year if there's an opening.

In the end, I figured that if I "lose" a few hundred bucks working my way up to a bigger bike, that's fine because it's cheaper than a single crash. I'm just surprised with how quickly I'm bonding with the bike and am wanting to spend more and more time on it, hence the riding comfort train of thought. Maybe someday I'd like to tow a passenger too.

Anyway, indeed I'll try the seat lift, then either forward controls or other seats to see if that helps before moving up with more experience and knowledge about what I really want to step up to. Sounds like a good plan to me, thanks for the influence! 8-)

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by LANCER on 04/17/12 at 18:41:32

The protective gear is not overkill. I was separated from my machine last year at 50 mph and went hard down on my back which caused considerable damage but I'm still alive and have healed and back on the road again. Without good armor, helmet, etc I may not be here.
WEAR IT WITHOUT APOLOGY.

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by bess227 on 04/17/12 at 18:48:14

Scott,

Total newb here....back to riding after 20 years, and thought the S40 would be just what I needed for size and power. I am like you, after 300 miles on her, I am asking a couple of the identical questions.

Thanks to everyone for the answers and advice. I went ahead with the seat lift this evening, raising it almost an inch and it does make a difference. It is a very simple mod once you find the parts needed.

I am very seriously considering the forward controls. I am 6'1" and 250, just a big country boy, but think the FC's can't hurt. If I put them on I will let you know how it works out. Safe riding to you.

LOVING the S40....2007 with 1200 miles and got her for 2300 bucks. No better deal within 150 miles.

Learning a lot already from all you fine folks ....thanks for the help.

Scott Frye

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by WD on 04/17/12 at 19:50:33

I've had my Savage since February of 1998. I've had bikes ranging from model year 1915 to model year 2005. Over 100 of them.

Bar none, stock Suzuki seats are the absolute worst. Kawasaki's cruiser seats are the best.

I'm 6'2" and down to 215#. I run a set of 15" rise handlebars (Krome Werks apehangers), a set of Panhead style Harley floorboards welded to the stock peg mounts and a modified Kawasaki VN800A seat. And a higher narrower fuel tank.

Savages are not long trip bikes. At least for somebody my size, I'd prefer a VN1500A (love the Classic but loathe 16" front wheels). My Savage with a stock seat was comparable to my 63 Panhead in a 53 rigid frame with a hard mounted seat. Back breaker (literally, my lumbar spine is trashed).

Take your time and get used to the bike. You can't ask for a better around town cruiser. If you just have to ride with a passenger, do both of you a favor and buy a second bike for that. Something with a real seat and a real backrest, Kawi Nomad or an HD Road King with the accessory backrest.

Oh, like Lancer said, never apologize for safety gear. I have a steel shoulder and a scar from a clutch lever through the chin because I don't use ATGATT. Never have, never will, can't stand the stuff. Leather and a 1/2 or 3/4 shell for me. Unless I'm in a freedom of choice state, then I ride without a lid.

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by Savage_Rob on 04/17/12 at 21:07:18

I pretty much agree with everyone's tips so far. Definitely take more time to get used to your bike... And to riding in general. In some respects, it's like breaking in new boots; as the boots get broken in, so do your feet. 400 miles isn't enough to break in your ass yet. For personal comfort, there are a lot of options already mentioned. I found the seat lift helped and tried the leather Suzuki gel seat for the Savage but, for me, a modified HD Sportster seat I got for about $30 on eBay is much better than the gel seat. Different bars can alter your position and comfort considerably too. So far as a passenger goes, I can't say I know of a way to make the Savage comfortable short of adding a sidecar but I ride solo and haven't given it any real effort.

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by Trippah on 04/18/12 at 11:12:40

If two -up riding is your ride of choice, then a larger bike is desireable....but since we'd like you to hang around a bit longer, ride thine Savage for a season and develop your riding skills..take an MSF advanced rider's course or similar skill builder. By next year you can become a FSO and still survive- visiting the forumn as desired.

Triumph has done a great job with their line..and should you want to keep the savage for the quick around town..their are usually plenty of good low milage america's available. Front fork brace and seat front raise two great mods.

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by teabowl13 on 04/18/12 at 12:11:56

Also, give some pause before you get the forward controls.
I'm not saying you shouldn't get some; they will likely make you feel more comfortable, but there are a lot of folks who say that keeping your feet under you gives you much better control over the bike, and I've always felt much more confident in my riding that way. It keeps me more upright, more alert, and I feel more connected to the machine, and more in control.

Take this with a grain of salt; I personally haven't ridden the Savage with forward controls, and in fact I am moving mine further back, so I can't say that it makes a serious difference. Also, I grew up on 1970's UJM Standards and more sporting bikes, so it's just not my style, but the stock controls are further forward than anything I am used to already. I would hesitate before going even more forward...

Again, maybe after some more time...

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by teabowl13 on 04/18/12 at 12:12:51

And by the way...
Congratulations on your new bike!!
Now, shut up and go ride that thing!!
Enjoy!

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by Scott McCrory on 04/18/12 at 16:47:19

I love it - y'all are awesome! :D 8-)

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by ZAR on 04/19/12 at 06:39:41

5C6D696A677F64393B080 wrote:

I'll second teabowls thoughts here. I started riding back in the late 60's and rode Trumpets,Beezers, vertical twins and big singles. Had a Harley once also. Built a couple of choppers with ape-hangers and the works. Got away from scooters for 20 years or so and couldn't stand it any more. Now knocking on 60's door and back on two wheels. I found our real quick the FCs don't allow as much control of the bike as stock pegs or boards. I do like highway pegs for the occasional stretch though!

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by RC on 04/20/12 at 20:57:43

22312627383533313A65540 wrote:

It's been said that our seat is the worst and corbin is the best.
And suzuki seats are the worst of all brands.
Of course this depends on the use and the user.

I'm likewise 5'9" I think the factory seat is just fine never tried a Corbin, my 09 Kawasaki Classic 900 LT had the worst seat by far of any I've used. That bike now has a Mustang big improvement.

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by tizzyfit on 04/25/12 at 08:11:29

I purchased a Corbin seat for my 06 S40 after about 400 miles. My sense was, it felt like I was riding "on" the S40 with the stock seat, whereas, the Corbin seat provides a sense of being a part of the bike, that due to the different seat angle, back lip of the seat and over-all comfort. After riding bicycles for years, the last road bike I bought required 5 different ass-hatchets before finely getting the right fit for my tail. Oh, I'm 5'8", 180, 68yrs old, so seat comfort and support is appreciated by me.

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by bill67 on 04/25/12 at 10:14:35

In general Suzuki seats are at the top of the list,The S40"s shocks and travel at the bottom of the list.The Intruder 1500 has been called the best seat in motorcycling,I have one and it is the best of any bike I've road on,even better than my 6 cylinder honda goldwing I had. Beware the Corbin and Suzuki gel seats are narrower than the stock seat.

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by arteacher on 04/26/12 at 10:09:29

The fact that the Corbin is narrower is moot. With the Corbin you sit in the seat, not on it- and the passenger portion of the Corbin is definitely wider than the stock seat.

Title: Re: Corbin seat, forward controls or bigger bike?
Post by SuperSavage on 04/26/12 at 10:30:00

I'm 6'1" and with the addition of Routy's FC's and 32" Santee Wide and Low XLX style drag bars made a huge difference! They changed the whole ergonomics and I'm more relaxed on the s40 than I am on My vulcan 800A . The stock seat is now fine, it allows me to shift my butt around from time to time. The wide bars improved the handling especially the Low speed handling. Change the bars, add FC's and keep the s40 for a while and develop your skills for the s40 is very light and forgiving.