Aftermarket seats are the most expensive accessory purchase some motorcyclists will ever make. Are they worth it?
For this EV Rider post and video, I’m doing a long-term review of my Corbin Gunfighter Saddle for my 2020 Zero SR/F.
Read or post your Corbin seat comments here.
I ordered my Corbin seat back in March of 2021. It arrived in June, which was significantly longer than Corbin’s original delivery estimate, but then again, everyone was trying to figure out pandemic-related supply and delivery issues back then.
Although I was happy with my stock seat’s looks and initial comfort, I started to get sore after about 50 miles of riding.
Answering the big question first: is the Corbin an improvement? Yes. But is it a no-brainer to add, no.
My rear-end still starts getting sore after about a hundred miles in the Corbin, although that’s an improvement over the factory seat.
Just about any Corbin owner will tell you there’s a break-in period, but even after thousands of miles, it’s not as comfortable on long-haul rides as I had hoped.
Corbin offers an extensive customization tool, allowing you to play with an almost seemingly endless choice of colors and materials before picking your final design.
When the Corbin finally arrived, the seat didn’t fit the bike. It couldn’t be pushed down low enough to latch.
After comparing notes with other Zero owners and Corbin’s tech support, I ended up taking some rubber bushings off the Corbin and using a dremel on the underside of seat to create a little extra clearance space.
I then made a trip to the hardware store to buy some spacers that I used to raise up the Zero’s factory latch to a height where the Corbin seat would finally catch and latch onto Zero’s original hardware.
Zero’s optional OEM tail box rack kit is what caused the clearance issue. Even though the seat had indents to accommodate the rack things just didn’t quite line up right.
By comparison, a Mustang seat I purchased for a Kawasaki Vulcan several years ago snapped right in and greatly improved the comfort as compared to its factory seat.
Cobrin did improve on Zero’s original design by offering more padding and making it a one-piece design that can be easily removed by using a key.
The factory seat came in two pieces with only the passenger seat being key removable. An additional bolt must be undone to remove the main portion of the factory seat.
One irritant cropped up after purchasing the Corbin seat. It started squeaking occasionally.
I found the solution to eliminate the squeaking was to add felt pads around the areas where the seat’s material and frame were rubbing up against the bike’s components.
Before I bought the Corbin, I first approached Sargent Cycle, since its seating operation is based here in Jacksonville, FL.
I offered to loan them my bike to make a mold, but they weren’t interested, saying the volume of sales wouldn’t be high enough to warrant it. Kudos to Corbin for taking a chance on a small American motorcycle company.
Corbin also offers a heating element in its seats as an option. With tax and shipping my Corbin cost $652.47 when I bought it last year.
Would I buy my Corbin again, knowing what I know now? Yes. The bottom line is despite my Corbin’s installation imperfections, it’s been a long-term improvement. However, given the seat’s cost and modest comfort improvement, it may not be a worthwhile investment for all riders.
It’s worth noting I’ve read some very positive comments on the Zero Motorcycles Owners Group Facebook page from other owners about the comfort of their Corbins.
If you’ve got a Zero and want a little more seating comfort – the choice is easy, since for now, Corbin is the only manufacturer that I’m aware of making custom seats for most Zero models.
However, if you own a higher volume bike, I’d suggest cross-shopping brands like Mustang, Sargent and Saddlemen, along with checking with other riders for their experience with the seat brand you’re considering.
For those of you with a Zero SR/F with the aftermarket tail box rack, here are the steps I took to get my Corbin to properly fit:
Step 1 – Remove the 2 nearest rubber grommets to the Corbin seat latch mechanism.
Step 2 – Remove screws from factory seat latch.
Step 3 – Put 2 washers – per screw for a total of 4 – under the seat latch to raise it up. See this Facebook post for photos for size/type of washer.
Step 4 – Re-tighten seat latch screws.
Step 5 – Line up seat and push it down until you hear the click.
Step 6 – Add felt pads at seat’s pressure points to prevent rubbing/squeaking.
Step 7 – Enjoy your new seat.