Went for ride with OEM seat.

BigO1987

New member
I have a Corbin regular seat with back support. I put my OEM seat on and went for ride today. The OEM seat is ok...it really does move you forward and is a few inches lower. It does helps with wind issues...I have a 23inch CB screen. But the Corbin is so much better. It really improves ride comfort. It is like a lazy boy recliner. Comfortable. I think that has been my best mod so far with the CTX. That was a one time experiment for me!!!
 

Thumper

New member
The seat if usually the first thing I change on a bike. It's strange but my wife can ride 12 hours on the CTX OEM seat and thinks it's great, yet I couldn't ride it 30 miles before it bothered me. I've read lot's of comments on how it works for some but not others. I think it has more to do with the density of the foam rather than the shape of the seat. Still, Honda did a great job on the seat compared to most mid-range motorcycles. My Versys and NC700 were torture racks in comparison.
I had a guy out of Tennessee named Terry Adcox that did a custom seat on my DL1000 that is as comfortable as my Goldwing was. His price was half what some of the more well known custom seat makers are. I had Rick Meyers do one for an FJR1300 and it was great but very pricey! It pays to shop around when getting seat work I guess.
 

BigO1987

New member
I sat on the new VFr1200x and the seat was aweful. The dealer is not allowing test rides unless you are serious buyer....not me. So can't say anything about how it rides. Seems like a nice bike, but it's seat was a joke.
 

Steven

Member
I had a custom seat made for my GSX1100G and it made all the difference in the world. It was velour which is also great ... except when it rains. lol Actually when I get a new seat built I will go back to velour because it's worth it even if I have to use a rain cover. I've been looking really hard at the Russel Day Long seats. They are very pricey, but from what I read from others, are about the best.

Yesterday I went for a 300 mile ride to Lake Geneva Wisconsin. It was a beautiful/perfect day for a ride and although I did stop a few times, the seat did not bother me. In the past, there were a few time it had on a long ride, but not yesterday. Still, I could sense that it could have been better. It just needs more thigh support and needs to lean the rider back a bit more.

I will say this... The CTX makes a wonderful touring machine on the non-Interstate roads.
 

ofdave

Member
Over the past several years I've had a few different bikes.
Of interest to me is that seats and windshields on each one were the subject of complaints on the respective bike forums.
I changed both on a couple bikes and neither on a couple others.
The MRA shield I put on my naked CTX works real well for me.
The stock seat has caused me no problems-I guess I have the right rear end for that seat.
With a thick wallet, the seat I would like the most would be a Russell Day Long. Have seen and sat on a few on other bikes and they feel more comfortable than I imagined-but pricey.
Like Steven, my rides on country roads and 2 lane state highways are perfect for the CTX.
 

Buddyrider

New member
Steven, which seat have you gone with or have you. I just did a 300 mile trip with no problem on the OEM, but the wife is not comfortable at 100 miles. I am 5'8" 240 lbs, so the corbin would be fine.
 

burdicda

Member
I just rode the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway with my OEM seat...no problemo
Guess I don't have anything to compare that to...but there was no pain, numbness, or anything negative...
Might be one of those who just happens to fit the fitment as designed...
 

Steven

Member
My oem was good for about 100 miles in comfort and by 200 miles I was beginning to squirm. As long as I made multiple stops I could go all day long. With my RDL seat, there didn't seem to be any limit to how far I could ride non stop. It was just as comfortable at the end of the day as the beginning. I have heard about others that had no problems with the oem seat, so I guess it's on an individual bases.
 

rickster

Member
Seats are like shoes...what's comfortable for me, may not be good for another. The best bet is having a seat custom made for your body shape. I can't understand ordering an expensive seat without going to the manufacturer for a fitting. While that may work out, luck is still too much of the equation for me. My fitted Corbin is excellent....for me. It might hurt someone else after an hour.
 

randy1149

New member
I agree rickster, I had problems originally with pain on my spinal cord. I sat directly on it while riding. To get off the spine I added the floorboards and a 2" offset with the floorboards. The offset allowed me to adjust my feet back and down bringing my lower legs to an almost 90º angle. This took me a little bit forward taking me off my spine. I have no trouble since then.

So what I'm saying it's not only the seat but the entire position you sit with the seat, footpegs and handlebars that determine how you "fit" on the bike, and we're all different to muddy the waters.

As other riders I made a "trade off" to make the bike "fit" me. The penalty is I have to be careful dragging the floorboards.
 

mtvic

Member
Rare is it that any bike is a perfect fit right off show room. Every "body" is different. Factory seems ok to most short rides, but not long ones. This is the reason for so many mods available after purchase. Price of riding.

Best tip is get off the bike every 45 minutes to 1 hour for a break, even a short one. Produces less stress to body and brain, unless your doing an Iron butt, then get an Air Hawk and suck it up.
 

Glen e

New member
I agree rickster, I had problems originally with pain on my spinal cord. I sat directly on it while riding. To get off the spine I added the floorboards and a 2" offset with the floorboards. The offset allowed me to adjust my feet back and down bringing my lower legs to an almost 90º angle. This took me a little bit forward taking me off my spine. I have no trouble since then.

So what I'm saying it's not only the seat but the entire position you sit with the seat, footpegs and handlebars that determine how you "fit" on the bike, and we're all different to muddy the waters.

As other riders I made a "trade off" to make the bike "fit" me. The penalty is I have to be careful dragging the floorboards.

Totally agree..... after my first 250 mile ride on the CTX, I wasn’t sure that I could keep it. I have an artificial hip and the forward pegs and the seat just jammed my hip to where it was uncomfortable. I really also don’t like the cruise your position. I’ve always had bikes that set me straight up. I can corner so much better with my feet below me. So I started investigating and found that with the Corbin seat, the floorboards, and the extensions discussed above, I can get this bike to be damn near perfect. My feet are almost below me, slightly forward, and I can’t say enough about the Corbin seat. Yes seats are different But when they’re made out of memory foam and mold to you, it fits most people. I also didn’t have a problem with seat height, at 6’1”, so the Corbin high Seat gave me a little more “sit straight up” ability.
 

Woodswoman

Member
I'm going to toss in a plug for the Russell Day-Long.

During my CTX's first winter nap, I sent my stock seat to Russell Cycles in California, and had it redone with their Day-Long treatment. I was the first CTX700 customer Russell had ever had.

For all I know, I might also have been their last and only CTX700 customer, which is sad ... because the rebuilt is freaking AWESOME.

Not gonna knock Corbin, but the Russell treatment is customized to YOU. No buying something off the shelf.

You send the Russell folks photographs of yourself on the bike in certain positions (standing straddle, seated with feet down, seated with feet on pegs or boards) while wearing your usual riding boots. Then you tell them what you'd like to fix, and what you want to keep. In my case, I wanted to fix the stock seat's slight forward pitch while retaining the same reach to the ground and reach to the bars. Oh, and you tell them what, if anything, needs to be fixed for your passenger's comfort.

Then I got to select upholstery material and any extras. The only extra I went for was a waterproof seat cover. Shoulda had them install a backrest, but oh well.

They assign you a "build date," and you ship your seat to them before then. They work their magic, then ship the seat back to you.

It takes, they say, about 500 miles of riding to break the seat in fully. I went over that mark by taking my formerly-uncomfortable bike on a 1,500 mile road trip to West Virginia.

Simply put, the Russell treatment was the best CTX700 mod I spent money on. I had plenty to think about on that trip, but the comfort of my rear end wasn't one of them.
 

Steven

Member
I haven't tried the Corbin either, but Because of Woodswman's suggestion I did get the Russel Day Long with all the bells and whistles. It wasn't cheep (over $1k), but it was money well spent. To keep this short, I only took several 500 mile nonstop trips with the seat and it was just as comfortable at the end of the day as it was at the beginning. I put about 3k miles on it this summer during one trip and never gave my butt a second thought. That's how good it is.
 

ponydrvr

Member
Seth Laam did my seat back in 2014 while on my Four Corners Tour. Made an appointment, timed it to my tour, 3 hours later I was back on the road. Never looked back! The difference between stock and the modified seat was pain vs comfort. I can't say enough good about Rick Laam.
 

mtvic

Member
Stitches in st. Pete, fl did mine. Used him to rebuild all my seats over last 20 years. Had him put a backrest in and 3 layers of aeronautical memory foam which has a different density than std memory. What a difference. Still advise taking lots of breaks for long rides. Once the body starts to complain each time you get on the bike it takes less time to get to the uncomfortable stage.
 
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