SilverSurfer
RT-S PE#0391
I ordered my Corbin RT Seat, Trunkrest and 02-SB backrest on May 10th ... telephone order. Design: Black leather alligator pattern, large pattern on main seat; small pattern on side panels, backrest and trunk rest. I received everything on May 26th. Talk about fast service ... order-to-pickup (at Fedex): 16 days. Jessica at Corbin, beyond having a cute voice, was great ... all this in the midst of a computer crash at Corbin. I had been concerned that those lucky folks with time and distance on their side, able to arrange an in-house install, had an advantage. Not really, unless there's something drastically wrong with the seat, but as long as you give 'em your ((real)) height, weight, inseam and other measurements you think appropriate (I even tape measured around my butt), they dish out the seat to you.
Yesterday (May 29th): Unpacked the seat to find all components present. Instructions were straight forward and easy to follow. Here are some observations and nuances to pass on (not step-by-step, but keep in mind while following the instructions):
STOCK SEAT REMOVAL
1. Stock Trunk rest removal: Exactly in accordance with instructions>
2. Lay a dish towel or large cloth underneath the seat so if you drop a screw, it doesn't go down into the bike.
3. ABS Sensor removal. You only need to remove the ABS sensor up on the lower side of seat (T-30 Torx). The instructions show a picture that looks like you unplug a cable. I didn't see this or do this on my project.
4. Hinge bolts and Hydraulic shock: Getting the stock seat off was easy; although the rear hinge bolts are long with a fine thread, so it seams one is flippin' the wratchet for a long time. Be careful not to drop or lose the square hinge bolt retainers that go to the outside of each hinge. Keep the hinge screws loosened, but in place until you remove the stock hydraulic 'shock'; remove the shock only by removing the retaining clips at each end. You don't have to unbolt anything.
5. Pulling off the stock seat: As you pull off the stock seat, there are two aluminum spacers that nest in the left and right hinge pintles (the pintle is what the hinge screw passes through). Note: The instructions tell you not to lose these spacers, because you will re-use them. While you should not lose the spacers (they go with your stock seat), the Corbin RT seat pintles are the same size as the spacers, so the spacers don't nest inside them. This means I did NOT re-use them to install my Corbin Seat. There's nowhere for them to go.
6. With the stock seat off, I recommend re-packing your stock seat and trunk rest in the Corbin shipping box; or, if install is at Corbin, have them ship your stock seat and trunkrest back to you. Reason: You want to have that stock seat available if you need your Corbin seat repaired or if you replace your spyder with another. I packed my stock seat and trunk rest back in the Corbin box with the shock and other doo-dads, e.g. the aluminum spacers unique to the stock seat.
CORBIN RT SEAT INSTALLATION:
1. Before even getting the new seat near your Spyder, remove the latch pin. Whether you ultimately use it or not (I didn't), you are very likely to hit the paint near your 'glove box' if you attempt installation with this pin in place.
2. If you are installing a backrest, see comment below before installation.
3. The seat hinge pintles slide right into where the old pintles came out. Again, on my install, the stock seat aluminum spacers did not apply. The technique here is to get the seat basically into position, re-install the hinge bolts loosely. With the hinge bolts loose, manage the seat forward/rear; left/right so the front of the seat rests just below the glove box opening, so not to interfere with it. Then tighten the bolts. Careful: Do not over-torque. You could end up cracking the hinge housings. I torqued down until firm, and I could no longer induce 'play' in the seat position. I intend to re-check once in a while.
IF YOU ARE INSTALLING A (02-SB) BACKREST:
I found this to be the most challenging part of the installation. I ordered my seat with the 02-SB backrest, and therefore they built my seat with the backrest mounting hardware and rotation spring pre-installed under the leather and fiberglass. I had my seat completely installed when I realized it might've been better if I installed the backrest onto the seat before actually mounting the seat onto the Spyder. However, there are also some mixed up instructions here, as well as a paradox.
1. The sequence should be as follows (after stock trunkrest/seat removal):
(a) Install back rest onto the seat, using one of the four seat position screws. With the backrest, there is a small packet containing four black allen screws of increasing length and two allen wrenches. THESE are screws one uses to lock the seat down AND adjust the backrest angle forward and back to fit the ryder.If you look closely at the packet, it shows a schematic of the different screws, with the words, "3/4-inch foward, 1-1/4-inch forward, 1-1/2 inches; and 1-3/4 inches forward. There are also some brief instructions and a diagram. The black 'hat' screws install under the seat and screw in through an access hole in the fiberglass into the backrest strut.
(b) Preposition the seat onto the Spyder and check your seat back position. I initially tried the longest hat screw (1-3/4 inches) and it shoved me way too-far forward. I changed out to the "3/4-inch" and it was too far back. I ended with the 1-1/4 inch. Perfect. Make sure you torque whichever screw you finally choose down firmly. At this point, you can resume installing the seat, beginning with the hinge bolts and verifying your seat position ... then finish tightening the hinge bolts.
2. If you have the seat completely installed, but need to change out your position adjustment screw, you can do it by 'feel,' but it's challenging. There is a spring in the pre-installed mounting hardware that allows one to rotate the seat forward for passenger mounting, etc. I will add ... if the seat is on, it is easier to 'feel' the adjustment screws into place by rotating the backrest forward a little. DOH! I dropped one of the screws into the bottom of the access hole. I could feel it but couldn't get it out. Out came my little telescoping pen magnet ... gotcha!
There was also a silver allen screw that came with the back rest (but not in the packet). It does not appear to apply to installation on a Corbin-RT seat. One of the diagrams showed installation on the back of an RS, which is where it appears this screw applies.
TRUNKREST INSTALLATION:
The instructions tell you to remove the plastic trim from the back of the stock backrest. Twist the plastic retainers and they pop off. At first one expects it somehow mounts to the Corbin trunkrest. No. It mounts back to the Spyder where you removed the stock trunk rest with the T-20 Torx screws; then the Corbin trunk rest just nests into it. The trunk rest actually gets secured using the tree T-30 Torx screws further down in your trunk. My trunk rest came with three silver bolts in the back mounting holes. I removed these and re-mounted with my stock T-30 Torx screws. Make sure the Corbin Trunk rest is seated correctly to insure correct alignment of the two upper and one lower T-30 Torx screw.
This seat is the cat's a... err ... scratch that ... I mean 'meow.' Beautiful ... and makes the Spyder look all grown-up.
Yesterday (May 29th): Unpacked the seat to find all components present. Instructions were straight forward and easy to follow. Here are some observations and nuances to pass on (not step-by-step, but keep in mind while following the instructions):
STOCK SEAT REMOVAL
1. Stock Trunk rest removal: Exactly in accordance with instructions>
2. Lay a dish towel or large cloth underneath the seat so if you drop a screw, it doesn't go down into the bike.
3. ABS Sensor removal. You only need to remove the ABS sensor up on the lower side of seat (T-30 Torx). The instructions show a picture that looks like you unplug a cable. I didn't see this or do this on my project.
4. Hinge bolts and Hydraulic shock: Getting the stock seat off was easy; although the rear hinge bolts are long with a fine thread, so it seams one is flippin' the wratchet for a long time. Be careful not to drop or lose the square hinge bolt retainers that go to the outside of each hinge. Keep the hinge screws loosened, but in place until you remove the stock hydraulic 'shock'; remove the shock only by removing the retaining clips at each end. You don't have to unbolt anything.
5. Pulling off the stock seat: As you pull off the stock seat, there are two aluminum spacers that nest in the left and right hinge pintles (the pintle is what the hinge screw passes through). Note: The instructions tell you not to lose these spacers, because you will re-use them. While you should not lose the spacers (they go with your stock seat), the Corbin RT seat pintles are the same size as the spacers, so the spacers don't nest inside them. This means I did NOT re-use them to install my Corbin Seat. There's nowhere for them to go.
6. With the stock seat off, I recommend re-packing your stock seat and trunk rest in the Corbin shipping box; or, if install is at Corbin, have them ship your stock seat and trunkrest back to you. Reason: You want to have that stock seat available if you need your Corbin seat repaired or if you replace your spyder with another. I packed my stock seat and trunk rest back in the Corbin box with the shock and other doo-dads, e.g. the aluminum spacers unique to the stock seat.
CORBIN RT SEAT INSTALLATION:
1. Before even getting the new seat near your Spyder, remove the latch pin. Whether you ultimately use it or not (I didn't), you are very likely to hit the paint near your 'glove box' if you attempt installation with this pin in place.
2. If you are installing a backrest, see comment below before installation.
3. The seat hinge pintles slide right into where the old pintles came out. Again, on my install, the stock seat aluminum spacers did not apply. The technique here is to get the seat basically into position, re-install the hinge bolts loosely. With the hinge bolts loose, manage the seat forward/rear; left/right so the front of the seat rests just below the glove box opening, so not to interfere with it. Then tighten the bolts. Careful: Do not over-torque. You could end up cracking the hinge housings. I torqued down until firm, and I could no longer induce 'play' in the seat position. I intend to re-check once in a while.
IF YOU ARE INSTALLING A (02-SB) BACKREST:
I found this to be the most challenging part of the installation. I ordered my seat with the 02-SB backrest, and therefore they built my seat with the backrest mounting hardware and rotation spring pre-installed under the leather and fiberglass. I had my seat completely installed when I realized it might've been better if I installed the backrest onto the seat before actually mounting the seat onto the Spyder. However, there are also some mixed up instructions here, as well as a paradox.
1. The sequence should be as follows (after stock trunkrest/seat removal):
(a) Install back rest onto the seat, using one of the four seat position screws. With the backrest, there is a small packet containing four black allen screws of increasing length and two allen wrenches. THESE are screws one uses to lock the seat down AND adjust the backrest angle forward and back to fit the ryder.If you look closely at the packet, it shows a schematic of the different screws, with the words, "3/4-inch foward, 1-1/4-inch forward, 1-1/2 inches; and 1-3/4 inches forward. There are also some brief instructions and a diagram. The black 'hat' screws install under the seat and screw in through an access hole in the fiberglass into the backrest strut.
(b) Preposition the seat onto the Spyder and check your seat back position. I initially tried the longest hat screw (1-3/4 inches) and it shoved me way too-far forward. I changed out to the "3/4-inch" and it was too far back. I ended with the 1-1/4 inch. Perfect. Make sure you torque whichever screw you finally choose down firmly. At this point, you can resume installing the seat, beginning with the hinge bolts and verifying your seat position ... then finish tightening the hinge bolts.
2. If you have the seat completely installed, but need to change out your position adjustment screw, you can do it by 'feel,' but it's challenging. There is a spring in the pre-installed mounting hardware that allows one to rotate the seat forward for passenger mounting, etc. I will add ... if the seat is on, it is easier to 'feel' the adjustment screws into place by rotating the backrest forward a little. DOH! I dropped one of the screws into the bottom of the access hole. I could feel it but couldn't get it out. Out came my little telescoping pen magnet ... gotcha!
There was also a silver allen screw that came with the back rest (but not in the packet). It does not appear to apply to installation on a Corbin-RT seat. One of the diagrams showed installation on the back of an RS, which is where it appears this screw applies.
TRUNKREST INSTALLATION:
The instructions tell you to remove the plastic trim from the back of the stock backrest. Twist the plastic retainers and they pop off. At first one expects it somehow mounts to the Corbin trunkrest. No. It mounts back to the Spyder where you removed the stock trunk rest with the T-20 Torx screws; then the Corbin trunk rest just nests into it. The trunk rest actually gets secured using the tree T-30 Torx screws further down in your trunk. My trunk rest came with three silver bolts in the back mounting holes. I removed these and re-mounted with my stock T-30 Torx screws. Make sure the Corbin Trunk rest is seated correctly to insure correct alignment of the two upper and one lower T-30 Torx screw.
This seat is the cat's a... err ... scratch that ... I mean 'meow.' Beautiful ... and makes the Spyder look all grown-up.
Last edited:
hyea:
