Three Seat Comparisons for a Tall Guy

[tehrlich]

Like many, I can't just go to a meeting and try out seats, like a lot of advice given here. So, I ended up buying three and actually using them.

First of all, I realize that many have a lot of passion for their seats, and my opinions by no means indicate that they are bad and wouldn't be perfect for someone else.

Second, I'm 6'3" and 230lbs. I need a seat that is better for a taller person.

The attachment has a lot of comparison images with measurements. My conclusion: the BRP Comfort Seat was the BEST for me as a taller person.


I knew the stock seat wouldn't work when I purchased my 2015 RT Limited last year. So, I never used it. I've ridden the BRP Comfort Seat for roughly 9000 miles. It is intended for taller people than the stock seat.

I bought a custom Corbin seat, and the Ultimate Tall Boy with croc inlays. I rode the Corbin about 500 hundred miles, and I was only able to ride the Tall Boy about 150 miles.


My primary concern was that the seat could accommodate my height. Believe it or not, I found the BRP Comfort seat best for this, the Corbin second, and the Ultimate Tall Boy a very distant third. You'll see in one pic how much room I found on each seat. The "Tall Boy" was so restrictive for me that I had to stop riding it.

RT Limited Corbin Seat.jpgRT Limited Ultimate Tall Boy Croc Inlay.jpgThree Seats.jpgSeat Measurements.jpgSeat Measurements 2.jpg

[tehrlich]

Actual room I found on the seats.

There is no comparison. The BRP Comfort seat gave me the MOST room. This was for two reasons: it has a longer saddle area and the "back" of it is soft, so you can push into it. The other two seats have a hard back rim, and no give. This is a pro and a con.

Actual Seating postion.jpg

[tehrlich]

Backrests:

I didn't buy the BRP Backrest for the Comfort seat, so I have no thoughts on it.

The Corbin back rest is thinner, and probably accommodates a second rider better that the Ultimate, but it wasn't that comfortable for me. I found the Ultimate backrest exactly what I would want. It was soft, but supporting at the small of my back.

The Ultimate was more solid with its flat bar configuration. The Corbin has more of a rectangular rod that keeps it in place. It has a lot more lateral movement than the Ultimate configuration.
Backrests.jpg

[Chupaca]

this is a great review from someone who has used them all in an effort to find the right one. I have the comfort but have never tried the other so seldom comment on seats other than I am happy with it. Thanks for this....

[SpyderAnn01]

Great review and I agree, the BRP Comfort Seat is great for those of us with long legs. Did you know that you are less than 100 miles from the Texas Hill Country Event? There is still time to register for the event which takes place 13 - 15 October in Boerne.

[Leeallen1111]

I agree - 6'5" and the comfort seat works best for me. Lee


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[trikerbiker645]

Great seat comparison's, but I wish you would have also tried a Russell Day Long so we could have seen that comparison .......... I know, you already have a ton invested, anyway, great job and good luck selling your others! safe riding!

[tehrlich]

Great review and I agree, the BRP Comfort Seat is great for those of us with long legs. Did you know that you are less than 100 miles from the Texas Hill Country Event? There is still time to register for the event which takes place 13 - 15 October in Boerne.

LOL. I was just telling my wife that I could probably sell my two seats at this event. I have a commitment on Friday, and only could make Saturday.

[tehrlich]

Great seat comparison's, but I wish you would have also tried a Russell Day Long so we could have seen that comparison .......... I know, you already have a ton invested, anyway, great job and good luck selling your others! safe riding!

Agreed. I'm 50:50 on sending in my BRP Comfort seat so it can be transformed into the Russell Day Long.

[tehrlich]

More opinion on the three:

The Ultimate Tall Boy looks a LOT better on the bike than pictures on their website. I'm a little shocked that the company's website does not portray their seats better. It was actually the reason why I bought the Corbin seat first! They could easily hire a videographer to film their seats, rather than the YouTube quality videos they use.

Corbin's website was so cool.... You could customize the seat and see it as it would be. Big selling point on that! But, their details of fit and specs were lacking. For instance: the "Lamonster" seat supposedly is a bigger seat. I couldn't find that anywhere. The only "selling" point for that particular seat seemed to be "Lamonster" himself. I like his products, but I don't want the logo on my seat. (Anyone contemplating the CAT delete, just do it! One of my best upgrades!) The Corbin seat looks as great as what you design on their site.

BRP's website is what it is: professional and clean, and not a lot of information either. However, the Comfort seats are readily available at your dealer, and it is easy to go check them out. This isn't the case with the other seat manufacturers.

[tehrlich]

Photo Jul 20, 7 23 08 PM.jpg

My opinions and observations of the Corbin:

It's cheaper than the Ultimate, but when you're already at that price point, I don't think it matters much.

The material is vinyl, which I don't see as a disadvantage really. It felt VERY slippery when I first started riding it.

It has a tractor-style seat form and is the lowest position of the three. I like this VERY much. As someone taller, it made me feel like I was sitting in the seat and not on top of it as much. It is also the firmest of the three. I personally like this better than soft like the BRP Comfort. I've ridden road bicycles for many years, and firm is the best way to ride very long distances.

The seat is the heaviest of the three, by a lot. I didn't weigh each, but you can definitely feel the weight during installation.

It is VERY well made. Big rivets hold the fabric in place, and the stitching is perfectly placed. The back part of the driver's seat is hard and supports you.

The oval backrest is weird. I personally did not care for it much. The Ultimate has an awesome back rest: right at the small of the back, and lower.

The gas door "flap" is weird too. It is a flap, not a door. The Ultimate has a true aluminum door with a key. The Corbin's flap also uses two hinges that look like something in your kitchen cabinets. If you LIFT the seat, you have to OPEN the gas door flap OR the hinges scratch the body. Poor design.

The Corbin seat does NOT use the prop from the stock seat. Therefore, when you lift the seat, you have to hold it open yourself. Because it is the heaviest, this doesn't make a lot of sense. They should have made it come with its own prop if it were too heavy for the stock prop.

As far as a tall rider, this is a close second to the BRP Comfort seat for me. I rode it all day through NE Oklahoma, Missouri, and northern Arkansas. It was very comfortable, but it kept me in a more forward position than what the BRP Comfort seat does. It feels like comfortable shoes with the laces slightly too tight and no wiggle room. The BRP feels like slippers that are too soft but lets you move around freely..... a trade off.

[tehrlich]

Photo Jul 21, 7 56 06 PM.jpg

My opinion of the Ultimate Tall Boy:

To call it a seat for tall "boys" is extremely misleading in my opinion. It pushed me so forward and higher, that I had to adjust the Triaxis handlebars just to feel more room. It made my feet so forward that they were pushed over the boards and into the wind-deflecting plastic.

You certainly SIT taller! I felt very raised on the seat. I could tell because I could see over the full extended windshield a LOT more.

Like I said, I could only ride it about 150 miles. It killed my back and made me feel unbalanced on my Spyder. The last straw for me was when I was driving home from work, about 12 miles. I had to stop and get off twice because my butt and back hurt so much.

It was so extreme, that I feel like they put in the wrong seat into a Tall Boy box. I still have the box, and it is for a Tall Boy! I can't imagine what their regular seat actually measures!

With all of this bashing..... I was very disappointed because this seat is amazing! I loved the quality of materials and craftsmanship. It looks fantastic, and I think it presents better than the Corbin seat. When I put it on for the first time, I knew I wouldn't take it off. But, it didn't take long to tell me that this is not a seat for a Tall Boy.

It is heavier than the BRP seat, but not by much. It also uses the prop under the seat. Bonus!

It is in the middle of the three with firmness. The BPR seat is definitely the softest, then the Ultimate, and then the firmest is the Corbin.

The gas door is heavy duty metal (aluminum, I assume,) and it comes with a lock.

Of all three seats, it dresses up the Spyder the best. Hands down.

Unfortunately, that is for the "eyes" and not the "buttocks!"

[tehrlich]

Photo Jul 20, 7 56 05 PM.jpgPhoto Jul 20, 7 56 20 PM.jpg

My opinion on BRP Comfort Seat:

It's kind of plain Jane on the Spyder, but it looks OK. The material is soft "pleather" and stretches easily. There is a lot of soft padding. It is by far the softest of the three seats.

Softness is NOT good for really long rides, however, I've done it many times in the 9000 miles on it. But, once your butt starts to ache on those long rides, you can never get comfortable with the lack of support, or pressure from every location.

The softness does have one huge advantage over the other two: the back rim of the drivers seat is formed, but it is soft and giving. The other two are very rigid on do not allow you to push into it. On longer rides, I could sit on top of the back rim a bit to give myself more room and a different position for a moment. Call it riding in the "back seat!"

It doesn't have a gas door. I don't find this to be a big deal at all. I think it was annoying actually. I didn't like how gas would drip on the material as you pull the gas nozzle out. Lifting the seat is not that big of a deal, unless your partner doesn't want to get off.

Because it isn't that higher quality touch on the Spyder, I'm not that worried that it gets scuffed or rained on.

It is the most functional seat of the three in my opinion.

[tehrlich]

If I could make a seat myself, I would have:

1. The front-to-back room of the the BRP Comfort seat
2. The tractor-style form of the Corbin
3. The materials of the Ultimate seat.
4. The firmness of the Corbin for the rider.
5. The medium firmness and elevated position for the rider like the Utimate
6. The gas door of the Ultimate
7. The customization selections of Corbin's website
8. A website that actually is buyer friendly for an intimate product like this. ALL three are bad, and the main reason for confusion, and frustration, I believe.

[tehrlich]

Forgot to mention installation:

They all install the same basically, except the Corbin doesn't use the prop.

I found the BRP seat and the Ultimate seat to fit perfectly. They went right to place. The Corbin had to be worked into place, and it never really was in place until after riding it a while. It kind of had to stretch into the position where the seat lock would engage it.



The seats re-use the stock bolts, and piston prop. Come on, people! Make those part of the new seat!

[slick999]

Great review but as many have said on this forum about seats,each their own.I had the BRP comfort seat installed a year ago when I got my RT Ltd.Rode it for several hundred miles and yes it did offer more room,I am 6'4,220lbs,but after a long ride to O.C Md bike week I couldn;t get use to the lumbar piece digging in my lower back.Ultimate seats was at the event,had them install the tall boy with the backrest and have no regrets.Feel I have the same room,better support and never a problem on long rides.Like I said to each their own,glad there is a choice out there.

[Peteoz]

Great seat comparison's, but I wish you would have also tried a Russell Day Long so we could have seen that comparison .......... I know, you already have a ton invested, anyway, great job and good luck selling your others! safe riding!

You can't really do a comparison of the Daylong, trikerbiker. You send Russell a seat and photos and they create their foam to match the correct seat pocket based on your shape and positioning in those photos. So someone who is 6'4" and 300lbs is likely to have different seat dimensions to someone who is 6'4" and 160lbs, or someone who is 5'6" and 160lbs.

They do "guarantee" a perfect fit however, so if it doesn't work for you they will modify it. You very rarely hear of a Daylong being returned, if at all. If you buy a Daylong, it will work for you......at a COST.......but hey, what's a few bucks when you can ride all day

Pete

[Peteoz]

If I could make a seat myself, I would have:

1. The front-to-back room of the the BRP Comfort seat
2. The tractor-style form of the Corbin
3. The materials of the Ultimate seat.
4. The firmness of the Corbin for the rider.
5. The medium firmness and elevated position for the rider like the Utimate
6. The gas door of the Ultimate
7. The customization selections of Corbin's website
8. A website that actually is buyer friendly for an intimate product like this. ALL three are bad, and the main reason for confusion, and frustration, I believe.

Tehrlich, thanks for the review....it is absolutely fantastic.

Based on the above, you should have included Daylong. They would have given you the front to back room, the tractor style, the materials of the Ultimate, not the firmness of the Corbin but all day comfort, the elevated position, many of the customisation option of the Corbin.
Sure, you have to send them your old stock seat so they can use the seat pan, but they guarantee a fit and comfort that is perfect for you, and they are not much more expensive than the other brands.....EXCEPT WHEN YOU HAVE TO SHIP YO AND FROM AUSTRALIA !

Pete

[tehrlich]

Great review but as many have said on this forum about seats,each their own.I had the BRP comfort seat installed a year ago when I got my RT Ltd.Rode it for several hundred miles and yes it did offer more room,I am 6'4,220lbs,but after a long ride to O.C Md bike week I couldn;t get use to the lumbar piece digging in my lower back.Ultimate seats was at the event,had them install the tall boy with the backrest and have no regrets.Feel I have the same room,better support and never a problem on long rides.Like I said to each their own,glad there is a choice out there.

I understand and agree about being on a Comfort seat for a long time.

I had the advantage of measuring each, switching them out, and riding them as I needed. The Tall Boy definitely is nice seat, and I wish it was the one I could keep. However, it clearly does not give as much room. I not only felt it, but could measure it. It was at least three inches more forward than a Comfort seat. Plus, it is more restricting because of the rigid back rim. Now, this would be an advantage IF you were already in a good place, front to back.

[tehrlich]

Tehrlich, thanks for the review....it is absolutely fantastic.

Based on the above, you should have included Daylong. They would have given you the front to back room, the tractor style, the materials of the Ultimate, not the firmness of the Corbin but all day comfort, the elevated position, many of the customisation option of the Corbin.
Sure, you have to send them your old stock seat so they can use the seat pan, but they guarantee a fit and comfort that is perfect for you, and they are not much more expensive than the other brands.....EXCEPT WHEN YOU HAVE TO SHIP YO AND FROM AUSTRALIA !

Pete

I "think" what I'll do is put the Corbin back on, and send the Comfort Seat to be converted to a DayLong as you suggest.

So, I hate to say this, but I have a lightly used Ultimate Tall Boy for sale!

[Peteoz]

I "think" what I'll do is put the Corbin back on, and send the Comfort Seat to be converted to a DayLong as you suggest.

So, I hate to say this, but I have a lightly used Ultimate Tall Boy for sale!

Don't make any rash decisions now, Tehrlich .......Speak to Russell first, and make sure they can do everything you want. My BRP Cannonball is proving to be pretty good because I can get my feet well forward on the F3 so I don't need extra bum room, and the Chosen One loves the rear perch, so I'll stick with it for while before I make the call on whether to wear the Russell cost. (Ends up being around $2400 Aussie by the time you purchase a second hand seat in the US, buy the Russell and add the shipping and $aud conversion rates)......and if it doesn't quite work and you have to ship it back for mods.......

Pete

[IGETAROUND]

When you take the pictures that you need to send to Russel Day Long, make certain that you're on your comfort seat.

I will be interested to hear your take on the RDL seat, I suspect that you will change your preferred seat to ride with. Don't hear of too many RDL seats for sale because of comfort concerns.

Al in Kazoo

PS will you adopt me and outfit my spyder for me Dad??

[trikerbiker645]

Peteoz, Sorry, I probably should have mentioned that I've owned 3 day longs on different cycles and plan on getting one as soon as Wi. weather forces me to put my Spyder away. I was just interested in seeing the side by side looks of the day long next to the others for more of another look besides the ones Russell has on their website. I realize they are all custom and somewhat different just would have liked to see a side by side top view with the others. Again, a great job was done doing the comparisons of the other three. safe riding!

[Peteoz]

Aha......yeah, that would be interesting, Trikerbiker. We won't let Terlich go until he posts photos and a review of the Daylong in the same vein as the others....trouble is, once he gets the Daylong, he'll be too busy riding to post photos.

Peteoz, Sorry, I probably should have mentioned that I've owned 3 day longs on different cycles and plan on getting one as soon as Wi. weather forces me to put my Spyder away. I was just interested in seeing the side by side looks of the day long next to the others for more of another look besides the ones Russell has on their website. I realize they are all custom and somewhat different just would have liked to see a side by side top view with the others. Again, a great job was done doing the comparisons of the other three. safe riding!

[MOSESS]

After reading all of the post on this subject maybe I can decide witch way to go. See I am 6ft 6inches tall. I have a 15 RTs special. I also just recovered from back surgery. the BRP to soft seat is killing my back side and with out a back rest I was really thinking of selling the RT at that time. After attending Spyder quest I was able to get a BRP backrest and it helped a lot .The seat is still to soft. should I just replace the foam .Wife rides with me and if I move the seat back any more she losses room. so are any of you guys this tall and do you ride two up some time.. thanks..please continue this discussion as it has helped me focus with out spending tons of funds on seats and wasted time..