Corbin or Russell?

I am going to Maggie Valley this coming spring, as some of you know, and I look forward to meeting you all. I have noticed that the factory seat tends to suck after about 70 miles.
I know this will probably wind up like every other thread. The guys who have a Corbin touring seat will swear by it, and the guys who have a Russell will swear theirs is best.
Has anyone out there tried both?
I don't have much natural "padding" back there, so would one be more comfortable than the other?

Thanks everyone.

I have tried stock (hard), gel (hot), corbin fast gun (plank), corbin tour (nice & comfy)
Now running Russel Day Long definately best of the bunch, for looks & comfort.

I currently have a Corbin and have had a couple of others in the past. It is a hard seat, but one that seems to agree with me.

Never owned a Russell but if I were looking for max comfort that would be the direction I would head. But, to me they do look a lot like big, padded, tractor seats. Not as obnoxious looking on a bike as big as the R3 but on many bikes its quite an eyesore. But, you can't see it when you're sitting on it.

I like my corbin because it is brick hard and stays that way, if I can press my thumb into a seat it is to soft for me

I have a 2008 R3T. It came with the stock seat. I am a fairly heavy guy, and the stock seat wasn't comfortable if the ride went beyond 200 miles. I bought the Triumph Long Haul seat with the hope that it would be an improvement. The foam still gave up in 200 miles, and so I bought the Corbin Solo seat. I almost always like Corbin and Sargent aftermarket seats, and I was impressed with the Corbin mounting system which allowed me to install and remove their seat without any wrenches. The foam on the Corbin seat held up much better than the stock foam, but the geometry of the seat didn't agree with my left hip. I finally bit the bullet and sent the original stock seat off to Russell to have them build a true custom seat.

This was my first Russell seat. I have never cared for the Russell look, but I really wanted a seat that would hold up for at least 500 mile days, and that's why I took the risk.

I have had the Russell installed now for a year. I took it off briefly and replaced it with the Long Haul when I had the 10000 mile service (so that the dealer wouldn't buggar up the expensive seat). After riding with the Long Haul seat after the service, I couldn't wait to get the Russell back on the bike.

When you order a Russell you have to send them several measurements and two specific pictures. When my seat came back, it was perfect. I was surprised they could do such a great job without a ride in appointment (I've had ride ins with Sargent a couple of times and been happy with their work on other bikes). If I had another bike that needed an aftermarket seat, I would go to Russell first. I was that impressed with their work on the R3T.

El Toro - is that the Russel seat on bike in picture gallery? It does not look as large as most Russle seats I have seen. If that is the Russel seat do you have pictures rom other angles?

I'm pretty sure that's the Long Haul seat. As part of the 10,000 mile service, I'd had the bike detailed, so after I had ridden it home (about 85 miles), I hopped off and took some pictures. I rode it on a second day for about 200 miles, and I think that's when I swapped back to the Russell seat.

I'll take a picture of the bike with the Russel seat installed and post it later this week.

I never ride with a pillion. My wife is a good sport, and we both like it better if I head out solo, so this works for us. Because of the lack of interest in a pillion seat, I did not have the gargantuan elephant ear style pillion modification from Russell, but I do have the stereotypical Russell mods in the rider's position. I have actually had several comments from people who've seen the bike indicating that they don't usually like the Russell look, but mine looks pretty good. Rain is forecast through tomorrow, so maybe I can take some pictures on Wednesday.

Ygransom said:

El Toro - is that the Russel seat on bike in picture gallery? It does not look as large as most Russle seats I have seen. If that is the Russel seat do you have pictures rom other angles?

Click to expand...

There are a few of one on my bike in my photos

I've had Corbin seats on my last two bikes (not including my current Rocket), and have to say that I am not really a fan. Between the firmness of the Corbin seat, as well as the geometry of the seat....long rides were always pretty painful after the first couple of hours.

I have the Triumph gel seat on my Rocket, and while better than the stock, still does not provide desired comfort after a few miles in the saddle. I bought an Airhawk which does seem to work well, but I have yet to spend any length of time to see how it works on an extended ride.

I've been considering a Russell seat...may be one in my future.

Ygransom said:

El Toro - is that the Russel seat on bike in picture gallery? It does not look as large as most Russle seats I have seen. If that is the Russel seat do you have pictures rom other angles?

Click to expand...

I took a photo in the shed tonight. Its not especially good, but it shows the seat. Its in my Member Gallery album.

You can see the stretch marks on the leather. I give a seat a pretty good workout.

The Russell is the most comfortable of all the seats I've owned, and that includes 5 or 6 Corbins, 5 or 6 Sargents (two true customs based on ride in appointments), and various gel seats, high seats, low seats, long haul seats, etc. from the factories.