If you look at the link I posted, you will see the AH was inserted under the seat cover, just for that reason.

TS

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www.travellingstrom.com

Fair point. But most reputable seat makers I have dealt with in the USA are quite happy to make any and all changes to your custom seat if you have a problem ... FREE .... until you're satisfied. Still, shipping your seat back and forth and then waiting a month or two would NOT WORK for me either.

I'm really surprised there aren't more saddle makers in other countries.
Russell, Corbin and Sargent are ALL multimillion dollar companies. Seems like a good business opportunity here?

Or ...
If I lived in the UK I'd look to France, where there are over 5 times more motorbikes than in the UK. (little known fact) Quite a healthy aftermarket industry there as well. I've been to a couple big rallies in the South and was blown away at the numbers, the diversity of bikes and people and the friendliness. (good Beer too!) A friend runs a Ducati, Triumph, MV dealer there, so I got good info on the French scene.

I don't blame you guys not wanting to pay duty or postage. Screw 'em.
Someone talented in the UK should take this up.

I have no idea why you talk about the Iron Butt Rally a race and think about it needing to be safe. No one bats a eye if someone gets hurt on a Dakar rally or some other race. It is a chance you take going in you know the risk and are willing to take it. Riding the world is not safe we know the risk and are willing to to take it.
I do not like riding long runs you see so much less and you are gust making miles not traviling you be better of flying. Now I have done some long runs gust to get there in some preset time but I do not like it.

Back to the post then.

There is a few seat makers in the EU must be more around. Top Sellerie - Deluxe seats for motorcycles, petrol tank covers, tank bags and scooter leg covers [Rates for an order from : FRANCE]

You may need to talk to custom bike shops they deal with this all the time.

there are lots of quality custom seat makers here, so we dont have to pay sargent/russell/corbin prices, end of.
10yrs ago i bought a corbin gunfighter+lady for my gsxf (to be fair, it was a discount deal but still £250) and it was rubbish, it didnt fit, the base wouldve rub through the paintwork in minutes and it weighed a ton. dont know if it was typical of the brand but i wasnt impressed for rrp £300+ and it went straight back. i took a page from the corbin catalogue and asked a local seat maker to make my seat like that, and he did and did a better job for £110. my choice of vinyls (wasnt impressed with the leather corbin), foam cut to suit my pie loving butt, custom piping to match the bike, the original seat base went back on fine and a third of the price.
i think a lot of people simply dont realise how easy it is to get your seat altered so they spend a fortune on these big brands

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dave

No question Corbin have gone downhill. Even at their best, not all their seats worked for everyone on all bikes. But once Mike Corbin started drinking and got into electric cars ... (10-12 years ago) it all went to Hell. I don't even know who is running Corbin today. BTW, all Corbin seats are heavy like lead.

Corbin's real craftsmen at the factory have always been the Mexican Horse saddle makers. This is most likely still the case. Corbin recruited Craftsmen from Mexico over two decades ago, sought them out. Some are very good, but getting fixes is now nearly impossible as there are no intermediaries that follow up for a customer. Only way is to show up in person.

I've tried several bikes where I hated the Corbin seat. VTR1000, VFR800, GTS1000 Yamaha, and probably a few more. But somehow they got lucky on my DR650. It works pretty good. On my buddies Vstrom is was good too. I had a Corbin on my XR650-L and it was OK too. But I did not get on with the bike that well, sold it off after only a year or so.

A good seat man can literally save your Butt by just using better quality foam and doing the right shape on your stock seat. BTW, I love my leather covered Corbin. Holding up well at 32K miles.

Still, I think it's worth it to pay someone with some true expertise in seat making. It's a real skill.

no argument there, the people i always used were just a husband and wife team, she dealt with front of shop and he made everything by hand, by himself. a real craftsman stitching cutting and stretching the vinyl somehow from a screwed up mess into a perfectly fitting cover. i could spend ages just watching him shape the vinyl with steam from an electric kettle.

unfortunately (but not for them i suppose!) they retired and bought a place in spain

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dave

Opinions on seat comfort are highly individualistic.

I'd encourage you to find some folks near where you live who have the different seats you're considering and ask if you can come sit on them to test for comfort. A bit of a strange ask, but better than ending up with a seat you don't like.

Having broken my tailbone once and then fractured it a second time, a comfortable seat is a must for long journeys. I've tried Corbin, Mayer, Sargent, and a handful of others. Sometimes the Corbins work well - and other times, it's Mayer all the way.

Hope you'll take time to try a few out and see what works. Sheepskin only works for so long.