Kawasaki Vulcan Forum banner

Corbin seat costs outside the US

4K views 18 replies 7 participants last post by  HighwayNine 
#1 ·
Hello all,

If you haven't seen my intro post, I don't even have a motorcycle license yet (!) but I've been planning ahead and it's been fun looking at my options for a first bike. I've sat on the Vulcan S and I'm in love, but if there's one thing I'd have to change it's the seat. Long-distance comfort is a must for me and, as is the case with most bikes, KVS owners give the stock seats a unanimous thumbs down on that front (at least with the reduced and mid-reach sizes). Airhawk pads and/or an upholstered stock seat seem to improve things somewhat but the consensus is that a Corbin seat is the most likely solution, which is a PITA because it's also the most expensive by far. Mustang have the KVS on their wish list (see their website) and I'll be keeping tabs on that, but as of now I have no choice but to factor in the cost of a Corbin seat before deciding to buy the bike.

Now if you want a Corbin seat and you live in the UK or any other country outside the US which charges around 25% in import taxes, you've got a bigger problem. Actually it's two-fold: the tax is something you'll just have cough up, but then you could get billed the equivalent of around $200 in shipping (which then ratchets up the payable VAT too). In effect, these kind of rates will mean that you may have to pay an amount for taxes and shipping that isn't far off from what the lucky folks in the US pay for the actual saddle! I recently got an email reply from Corbin's UK distributor confirming that I'd have to pay a whopping $430 before getting to the price of the seat (the current US price of the solo seat for the KVS is $497 minus shipping). In USD that's $925 for a motorcycle seat shipped to the UK [insert your favourite expletive here. and repeat. indefinitely.]

Obviously, the relative strength of your currency is going to play a big part (and Brexit isn't likely to help us Brits), but that doesn't mean that Corbin can't help with those shipping costs. So, the upshot is I emailed Corbin HQ last week to see whether they might be able to arrange a more economical option with one of their preferred couriers. I'm guessing they have fixed deals with the couriers whereby they buy 'in bulk' and don't get to pick and choose from other products. But maybe with enough feedback like mine they'll look at buying more courier products for their international distributors because, as far as I can tell, there are likely to be much better options available. For instance, I did a quick check online and found that DHL (one of Corbin's preferred couriers) has an 'eCommerce' division that should be able to cut the shipping costs down to well under half of that $200 mark. Anyway, I'll keep my progress with that posted here. I'm not expecting a result, I mainly wanted to just share my pain and encourage others in a similar position to take up arms and let Corbin know about it. That is, if they can't give me a good reason for sticking with the current deal with their overseas distributors.

Any thoughts or advice? Have I missed something? Don't get me wrong, I love what the Corbin brand stands for and judging by some of the examples of their work posted around here they've got a great thing going - a real rarity these days. I guess I'm pissed I don't live in the US!
 
See less See more
  • Like
Reactions: chench53
#4 ·
Is there no seat maker in the UK that could do a similar job? There are so many other aftermarket items that come from abroad to the US. Truthfully, I think my Mustang seat (which was on my Yamaha VSTAR) was more comfortable, but Mustang doesn't make seats for the Vulcan S. But, no matter, I'm happy with my Corbin.

So, I don't have much to offer, other than to say take a trip to the US (one of the Corbin locations) and bring home a "souvenir".

Good luck!
 
#5 · (Edited)
@Joe Yeah it's always interesting to see the differences in the markets. My personal inkling is that there's a growing appetite for 'modern-styled' cruisers in Europe, especially for younger riders. HD are still the king of cool for a lot of cruiser fans (myself included) but they're struggling to reach younger riders as Kawi have done with the Vulcan S and more notably, Honda with the new Rebel. If more manufacturers followed suit my hunch is they couldn't go far wrong over here. I hope Corbin sees the light if there's something in it for them.

@chench53 Thanks, you know I never thought of a UK maker! I doubt I'll find one, although can't say why... (will definitely check it all out and post any findings for UK riders). I think it's cos I'm drawn to Corbin's track record and all the positive reviews out there. Still, might be worth going for a gamble, say £300-400, if I can't get a Corbin for much less than double that.

I did think about an eventual round-trip to the States. The only problem is that bringing anything back through customs with a value over £390 is taxable at the same rates over here... Man you guys have got it good - or perhaps we've just got it bad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chench53
#6 · (Edited)
It's been 5-6 days since I emailed Corbin so I get the feeling they're not too bothered about my plea. (In other news, the price of their classic solo seat for the KVS has just gone up 36 bucks...)

There are plenty of upholsterers in the UK who will customize styles and put gel pads in all kinds of seats but I haven't found any who specialize in making longer motorcycle rides more comfortable. It looks like it takes a big production operation to make a seat from scratch and since there are only two players who do that in the US (that I know of - Corbin and Sargent/Mustang) it's little surprise that there are no European alternatives.

But there is a silver lining here. While hunting for UK upholsterers I came across a couple more options back in the US where they build on your stock seat pan, and they look promising (both would work on the Vulcan S and both ship overseas). The first is the Russell Day-Long seat. I'm sure this isn't news to many members here and there's a lot of talk about it on the other Vulcan forums, but not so much on this one. Anyway I got to searching all over the place for recent customer feedback and I'm yet to find a bad word spoken by a Russell seat owner. Seems like they are THE ultimate in comfortable 'day-long' seats. If you want endless comfort on the road (not ideal for off-road or sport riding due the wings on the sides of their seats) it looks like you don't need a new seat pan after all.

For what it's worth, there are only two real downsides with a day-long seat afaict: one is that it usually raises the rider's seating position up by about a couple of inches and this could easily mess with your riding posture, especially if don't already have much leeway with your controls and/or seat height. The other is that, by most standards, they're not as easy on the eye as other aftermarket seats...

I'd consider a function-over-form compromise, but then I came across a similar service found at laamseats[dot]com. It's a much smaller business run by a guy called Seth, and he focuses on getting the comfort right for long hauls. I really like the look of his portfolio and he charges less than Russell do (I think Russell use a kind of spring under the foam in their seats while Seth just uses foams of various densities). And as with Russell, there's nothing but praise for Seth's work out there. If I'm not mistaken they're only a two-man team and they've turned out literally thousands of awesome seats. Gotta admire that, huh? Let's hope they can keep up with demand.

So, if you haven't guessed it yet the big one for non-US buyers is that I'm pretty sure you won't have to pay that extra 25% in taxes for a Russell or Laam seat as you would a Corbin, as you're not buying a whole new product but just an upgrade for your own seat. Depending on what options you choose for your order, by my estimate that means a saving of $300-400 over buying a Corbin, shipping included! If I can find anything in Europe that looks equally good I'll post it here (and anybody in the know - please chime in!)

And that's the end of my Corbin worries for the time being. I'd assumed that it was Corbin or nothing as they make a good case for themselves on their website (and it's the only aftermarket seat available for the KVS). Of course I'd love to hear about any KVS owners' experiences with a day-long or Laam seat (and pics would be great). But all you KVS guys in the US are probably more than happy with your Corbins - and rightly so, they are very, very cool seats (and I still want one!)
 
#7 ·
While it doesn't help OP, I figured I'd mention that here in Canada I got my Corbin seat through their distributor Dynamic Cycle Parts. They were great to work with, making sure I understood all of the options. And they shipped it direct to my door without charging me any shipping fees at all. Also no import duties. With the exchange rate, it still came to a bit over CAD $1,000 for the solo seat and backrest, but it certainly could have been a lot more if I had to pay shipping.
 
#9 ·
Just had the seat from my 900LT customised by Rich's Custom Seats in Kingston WA. (2 weeks ago & followed by a 1500+km road trip (1000 ml).
Cost is $450.
Rich does fantastic work on rebuilding your seat on the original pan. Every seat is custom designed to fit you.
If your really considering flying to Seattle, Kingston is a short drive north of there.
Rich's also offers really nice accomodation upstairs from his workshop for $50.00/night.You'll need to stay one night, as the seat work takes a full day.
Would you not only pay duties and taxes on the amount exceeding 390 pounds?
Just a thought, but I can't say enough good things about Rich's work.
 
#10 ·
Nice find, thanks. It sounds like you had the perfect road trip. As for the £390 allowance over here, we'd have to pay taxes on the full value of the product rather than just the excess. What can I say, it sucks.

But as it happens I've been thinking, if I ever decide to go on a lengthy tour, say starting in the States and then heading back into Europe before returning to the UK, I can't imagine that customs would be checking for any modifications I made to the bike on my travels. So if I made my way to Hollister, purchased and fitted a Corbin seat there and then on my bike, that's probably one way to get around it. I might check with customs first just to play it safe.

On another note, I've dug up a similar service in the UK to the one you mention, CORE motorcycle seating (https://www.edblade.simpl.com; @IndyTom also found it: https://www.vulcanforums.com/forums/130-vulcan-650-s/298680-givi-e22-sissybar.html). Vulcan S seats are something of a speciality there. The workmanship looks first class (several interesting videos) and the reviews I've found are all very positive. My only reservations are that they don't yet have the large-size customer base that the other services I've mentioned above do (so testimonials are somewhat limited), and long-distance comfort isn't the main marketing angle as with the others. Plus, the guy who runs it seemed to be more interested in defending his brand name before addressing my own concerns in a message I sent him... But maybe that's just me being an ass or the limitations of email correspondence! Well worth a look if you're in the UK (or perhaps beyond), especially KVS owners.
 
#11 ·
You know, just a thought here...

You mention the £390 allowance for bringing something back from the US, which I'm sure a new seat carries a higher value than that.

But what about a "used" seat? After all, once it has been mounted on a bike (even for just a test fit), it is technically no longer "new" and carries a reduced value.

A business acquaintance who does regular import/export from the US to S America suggested this to me. He deals with a lot of small motorcycle/scooter parts, and routinely takes a screw out of this or hooks a cable to that, and then the customs inspectors mark (and value) everything at the cheaper used rate instead of new. He said the idea was told to him by one of the customs inspectors, so who knows.

Seems a bit of a gray area, but when you really think about it, new is new, and used is used. I don't believe they ask how used it is....
 
#12 ·
Hmm a cunning plan! Now you're talking :wink2: Nah I'm just kidding, but I like your thinking a lot, and thanks for all the replies guys.

My initial thoughts. If I'm going to shell out for a Corbin over a cheaper alternative I'd probably want to go all out and get the styling and fit exactly the way I want it (plus go for the driver's backrest as I'm prone to lower back niggles), and I won't ever find that exact same seat on somebody else's bike.

As for getting Corbin to make a few 'changes' for me - I doubt they'd play ball with a stranger like me. I'll just have to find a way of hitting it off with Mike over the phone hehe.
 
#13 ·
Yeeaah I've just seen the price of Corbin's backrest... they must be pocketing a mint every time they sell one! Just wondering if anybody has tried any of the cheaper alternatives? The following is the best I found in a quick search, seems to sell well and apparently is adjustable:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SX4-Memory...306061?hash=item5b2676394d:g:xCMAAOSwGIRXZeZi

Can't go wrong by trying one for $60 before laying out $300 in any case!
 
#16 ·
Ha! As if by magic I received a reply from Ed precisely 15 minutes after my last post!

He says the new production seat, known as the Black Edition, could take a while to come through as he's in the process of obtaining funds. He says, "There isn’t any change in ergonomics it’s a far better quality finish in leather and alcantara. With a founders certificate and a unique number 1-100." Facebook and instagram for updates. Very best of luck to him.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I am pleased that he has got back to you.
I recall him mentioning the new style seat to me, I checked the picture on the site and to be fair I didn't like the style. Too racy for the style of the bike.
I managed to reinstall the passenger seat onto my bike along with the remodelled style. I like the look of it. Perhaps one day I will have the rear seat piped in green and modelled the same as the front. See pics.
The KVS is a forever bike so I feel I have the time.
If you are looking for style and comfort then CORE is a great option and the total cost was £250, a bargain in my tailbones opinion!
 

Attachments

#19 ·
Just in case anybody reading this thread ends up on the wrong side of the law, in a webchat with UK customs I've learned two more things that might bum you out if you live in the UK and beyond. These are the UK tax laws (may differ a lot in other countries):

1) Used goods are taxable in exactly the same way as new goods are.
2) It doesn't matter how long the trip lasts or where you go, if you paid over £390 for any goods outside the EU (new or used) those goods must be declared upon arriving back in the UK.

Not sure everybody adheres to these rules in every case (wittingly or not), but there you have it. The guy on the other end ended the chat with 'have a great trip'. Thanks!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top