I have had my Corbin saddle for quite some time now. Hard? Yes it is but I like it but that is not the topic of this post. Ever since I have had it I have been thinking that a back rest would be a good idea so I decided to pull the trigger early January.
I really did not like the look of that bloody Corbin doughnut thing on the Valk's until one day I saw a picture of one of an M109 and for some reason I did like it so bugger it I bought it. I wanted a sissy bar but I don't like Honda's piss poor effort so I figured if this thing didn't pan out I would throw it on the back and put on the rack I wanted so not a great risk and worked out to be about the same price but better looking imo and being my bike that is the only one that counts.
The Australian dealer quotes 12 weeks for delivery which is frustrating as hell because it is an in stock part and he wasn't joking. It took a few days more and cost a lot for what it is. $443.57au to be exact. I got a lot of things I can say about the contents of this paragraph and none of it is good so lets move on to the thing arriving last Thursday evening.
Having the box get delivered. I had gone from frustrated to excited.
Opening the box I went straight into totally underwhelmed. I mean this is the first thing I saw.
3 months and 450 bucks wait. Really?
Totally unimpressed. Don't get me wrong. It seems to be well made and is leather and very nice, I knew what I was getting and all but all I saw was a hemorrhoid cushion in this big box. As I said... underwhelmed.
So I went out and put it on my bike. In fact that above picture is a little blurred because it is almost dark and I am on the way to the shed.
Once it was on the bike I perked up. I really did like the look of it. In these pictures it is so so as is the Corbin site pictures but in real life I kind of like it so feeling better about the whole deal.
Then I sat on it...
Worth it...
My whole perception of the thing instantly changed. It changed the whole feel of the saddle and basically what it did for me was to complete the whole saddle package. I was very very comfortable and I wasn't even moving. Not feeling so bad about the purchase now. In fact I am very happy about it but not time to ride yet. A few more days and Saturday morning will be here. Ride day!
Saturday morning arrives and I am very excited to finally have a play and as I rode it up the road for the first time I was startled by something I was not expecting but should have been obvious.
For years I never bothered with a windscreen. It was how things always have been and no apparent drama. I used to read people saying it was hard to hang on at speed and scoffed at that. I have speed limited the Valk' a couple of times no problem without even ducking down and seen way more then that on a Haybusa with no issues. Then I finally got a screen setup that suited me and then "Oooooooooooooh I see now". Only once you see what a lack of wind pressure is like do you understand what a lack of wind pressure is like.
The same goes for a backrest. Only once you see what it is like to not have to hang on when you accelerate do you know what it is like to not have to hang on when you accelerate.
I was totally gob smacked. It went from the normal "done it a thousand times accelerate down the road" to best as I can describe it to be the feeling of being in a powerful V8 accelerating down the road. I no longer need to hand on, I just sink into the seat. I spent all Saturday reveling in this feeling. Even roll-ons in fifth gear you sink back into it. What a novelty. Coming from a Haybusa the Valk' did not feel powerful as such. Now it does.
I ended up doing around 400+k on Saturday and had such a great day I made my latest video for youtube out of it and the greatness of that day partly came from the pleasure of riding with a back rest.
Cruising on the highway with my feet on the highway pegs is lounge chair central now. You simply don't have to hold on, just lean back. Even on long stretches there is significantly less effort needed to maintain throttle even with that throttle wrist rest thing installed. My hand can simply rest there with no effort.
I did many tests and I have zero problem moving around the bike if I want to play a bit. It did not get in the way at all in any situation I could come up with. It just was all round a fantastic addition to my comfort and the enjoyment I get out of riding my Valk'.
My two mates that were with me that day were not that interested at the start. By that night one had ordered his for his Corbin and the other was figuring out he could make one for his OEM seat.
