I have the back rest and just the regular seat. I've had no complaints from my wife yet.

 

Here is what I use. Gel seat,Stealth rack,HD backrest pad,custom mount.
Everyone says it is VERY comfortable. Air ride helps too. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

 

I have the corbins and they work out great for my wife. The biggest issue is simply having a backrest, IMHO. It really allows your passenger to relax. I would say those with Suzuki stock/gel's and Suzuki backrest are happy as well. I love the corbins for the ease of change back to single, plus they look great. And their prices are competitive when you price out the alternatives.

 

My old ladys only complaint is the rear pegs are to high. I have the gel seats but i never told her that and make her use the stock passenger seat. I dont want her to be to comfortable back there.

 

What are gel seats you guys are referring to? I went on the corbin site and priced their seat...not cheap, but certainly a quality product.

I currently ride a ZZR1200...not a good passenger mount for the g/f... but I am guessing that at 5'3" she would be comfy on the back of the 109.

Any comparisons between the stock/gel seat or the Corbin? Is there a consensous out there?

 

Here is what I use. Gel seat,Stealth rack,HD backrest pad,custom mount.
Everyone says it is VERY comfortable. Air ride helps too. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

WOW!!! That is gorgeous!!!! :bigthumbsup:

 

What are gel seats you guys are referring to? I went on the corbin site and priced their seat...not cheap, but certainly a quality product.

The gel seats are from Suzuki. You get both seats for about $180. They come in two different finishes and two different styles. One style sits you back from the bars a little the other moves you closer to the bars.

 

The Suzuki Gel is ten times better for passengers!......................Its wider and much more comfortable (so I hear!)

 

Sounds like the gel seats are a better deal for the money that are the Corbins. I assume with the gel seat you can still put on the tailpiece?

The Corbins with the backrest comes close to 1K...that is a lot of jack.

 

I assume with the gel seat you can still put on the tailpiece?

Yes you can.

 

I went with the Corbin.... If you add up the price of the Gel seat, Backrest and the mounting hardware, the extra cost for the Corbin seems to be worth it. It is so much easier to change back to 1 up.

The only issue I have with the Corbin is that it is a bit slippery (mine is only about a week old, hopefully it will be better after I break it in).

I have only had my wife on it once since I got the new seat. She said it was WAY more comfortable.
I think having a back rest is a MUST if you ride 2up. Especially with all the power at our command.

My 11 year old REALLY loves it, since I would not take him on trips more than about a mile without the rest. I can get on it a bit more now, which is why he loves riding with me so much. (Yep, kids are speed freaks just like their dad :yikes:.)

 

I went with the Corbin.... If you add up the price of the Gel seat, Backrest and the mounting hardware, the extra cost for the Corbin seems to be worth it. It is so much easier to change back to 1 up.

The only issue I have with the Corbin is that it is a bit slippery (mine is only about a week old, hopefully it will be better after I break it in).

I have only had my wife on it once since I got the new seat. She said it was WAY more comfortable.
I think having a back rest is a MUST if you ride 2up. Especially with all the power at our command.

My 11 year old REALLY loves it, since I would not take him on trips more than about a mile without the rest. I can get on it a bit more now, which is why he loves riding with me so much. (Yep, kids are speed freaks just like their dad :yikes:.)

Did you get the plain, or the stitching? My experience with Corbins is that it takes many hours to break in the seat, but once broken in they are gold.

You make a good point about all the stuff, and then the ease of switching the seats back and forth.

 

Did you get the plain, or the stitching? My experience with Corbins is that it takes many hours to break in the seat, but once broken in they are gold.

I got the Carbon Fiber Stitched. It was not exactly what I wanted, but they had it ready to be shipped. I was thinking that the Carbon Fiber look with stitching would look funny, but it actually looks pretty good.

 

i love my corbin setup i wouldnt trade for the world

 

I got the Carbon Fiber Stitched. It was not exactly what I wanted, but they had it ready to be shipped. I was thinking that the Carbon Fiber look with stitching would look funny, but it actually looks pretty good.

The Carbon Fiber with stitching looks good, in my opinion. :bigthumbsup:

 

I just got my gel seats the other day. I've only ridden with them for a few days but man what a difference! The wife hasn't tried hers yet but i'm sure she'll be happy with it over the stock seat. You can't beat the price either. One of the best mods to the bike i think..

 

In a few words from my wife about the stock seats "These seats suck", after the change to gel seats "Wow, what a difference, a lot more comfortable".

Go for the gel seats if you plan on riding 2 up. The passenger seat is a lot wider that in itself helps the issue.

ride safe,

 

In a few words from my wife about the stock seats "These seats suck", after the change to gel seats "Wow, what a difference, a lot more comfortable".

My wife still complains that her BUTT hurts.....Usually we travel 100-200 miles and her BUTT hurts usually in the first 50 miles.

I told her to get her own "SEAT".......buy a bike and she would have her own seat!

 

I went with the Corbin.... If you add up the price of the Gel seat, Backrest and the mounting hardware, the extra cost for the Corbin seems to be worth it.

Gel seats $180
Backrest $100?
Hardware $20?.......so for around $300 you could by 3 sets of gels for the cost of 1 set from Corbin. :dontknow:
doesnt seem to add up.

 

I went with a set of Suzuki carbon gel seats, regular cut for my short legs. Moved me up very nicely, but the seat itself did not seem much better than the stock. Don't get me wrong, both are comfortable to me. Now the gel rear is a real step up over stock, at least that's what I hear ..... wouldn't know because I don't ride B*tch. As for a back rest make your own, it's easy and you'll have more money to spend on other mods. I did mine and it looks great and is solid, a few other board members have made them and have posted instructions.

 

Gel seats $180
Backrest $100?
Hardware $20?.......so for around $300 you could by 3 sets of gels for the cost of 1 set from Corbin. :dontknow:
doesnt seem to add up.

The one big difference is that the backrest for the corbin setup is integrated into the seat. You can still ride with that cool solo look whenever you want with minimal changing. The Suzuki setup has the backrest bolted to the bike. You have to go remove the bolts from the frame, then replace them, to go back to the solo setup.

I still have the OEM setup myself, but I'm debating between the Corbin setup, the Jardine quick release backrest, or building my own backrest into the seat like so many here have already done. I just don't trust myself cutting into the back seat like that, so I'm trying to find a steal of a deal on a rear seat that I can experiment with.

 

Gel seats $180
Backrest $100?
Hardware $20?.......so for around $300 you could by 3 sets of gels for the cost of 1 set from Corbin. :dontknow:
doesn't seem to add up.

Copy / Paste directly from Suzuki Web Page

M109R Gel Seat - Full Cut, Plain 2008 MSRP $249.95*
Billet Passenger Backrest, Standard Low 2008 MSRP $229.95*
Billet Mounting Hardware 2008 MSRP $164.95*

Total $644.85 +tx / shipping

Copy / paste From Corbin

Front saddle no Heat, 2006-2007 Boulevard M109 R $319
Rear saddle no Heat, 2006-2007 Boulevard M109 R $299
Standard Ovalbac backrest $229

Total $847

Difference $ 203 +

I'm sure you can get other backrests, or find the seats cheaper. I was just comparing Suzuki's price.

And, like I said, the difference in price is worth it. IMHO

 

I am strongly considering adding 109 to my stable. How is the passenger comfort? Do most of you go with the Corbin seat and backrest?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!!

After figuring out a seat setup the next thing is leg room. My wife is 5'9 and even with a good Corbin with backrest her legs took a beating being all scrunched up. If your girl is tall make sure you check into the peg extenders for the rear that are out. I saw a set on a guys bike in our 3 Damn Days in May event that would have been nice for my wife back then.

On Corbin seats they do take a long time to break in well. They seemed slick for a month or so and hard as a rock till i broke about 3k miles. I have 12k miles or so on mine and its awesome now. It sorta molds to your butt over time.

 

Copy / Paste directly from Suzuki Web Page

M109R Gel Seat - Full Cut, Plain 2008 MSRP $249.95*
Billet Passenger Backrest, Standard Low 2008 MSRP $229.95*
Billet Mounting Hardware 2008 MSRP $164.95*

Total $644.85 +tx / shipping

Copy / paste From Corbin

Front saddle no Heat, 2006-2007 Boulevard M109 R $319
Rear saddle no Heat, 2006-2007 Boulevard M109 R $299
Standard Ovalbac backrest $229

Total $847

Difference $ 203 +

I'm sure you can get other backrests, or find the seats cheaper. I was just comparing Suzuki's price.

And, like I said, the difference in price is worth it. IMHO

Yup, that is what I came up with. The extra 200 is worth it to ME for ease of operation. :bigthumbsup:

 

Yup, that is what I came up with. The extra 200 is worth it to ME for ease of operation. :bigthumbsup:

My gf also complained about her knees. I am currently investigating floorboards which should do away with the pain..