I recently ordered a CORBIN 'Solo Gunslinger' style custom seat for my 1994 ZX1100D-2 Ninja. Since they don't get that many calls these days for seats for older bikes, I was advised that it would take about 5 weeks before I received the seat from their Hollister (CA) factory plant (not far from me, fortunately). Fine. No hay problema, amigos! After waiting patiently for the 5 weeks, sure enough I received the new seat, which was carefully packed for shipment at Hollister prior to UPS shipping (and delivered at light speed from Hollister). After carefully removing it from the protective wrapping, I noticed that it was missing the metal, twin-pronged 'male' component on the seat's underside that mates with the bike's 'female' seat-latching mechanism (that secures the seat to the bike). It was further missing one of two important rubber 'doughnut' cushion bumpers that are adjacent to that metal seat latch fitting. Examining it closely, it looks as if the missing bumper had been hastily installed using a 'pop-rivet' tool and come off (to end up who knows where?).

Well, custom seats like this now set a guy back more than US$550 through CORBIN, so I was (and AM) a bit miffed at this seemingly negligent and sloppy state of affairs. The seat itself was fine, the usual very nice custom CORBIN leather bench-work stuff we have come to expect from CORBIN Enterprises in past. I immediately contacted CORBIN through their Tech Support (e-mail address), asking what gives and WTF?! (I was a bit more polite than that, of course). Then, just to hedge my bets I ALSO used their 'Chat with Tech Support' option to say essentially the same thing. All of this was now over a week ago and to date, ZERO, ZIP, NADA responses from CORBIN's 'tech support' people.

For my money, this is shockingly sloppy workmanship AND equally negligent concern on the part of their tech support people! My question here is: "Has anyone else had a somewhat unsatisfactory interaction with CORBIN, heretofore one of the leaders in custom saddle work for motorcycles?" Either this experience of mine is an explainable, singular anomaly...OR CORBIN, et al, has slipped a whole bunch in maintaining its quality control standards in recent months! I'd be interested in hearing about anyone else's experiences with CORBIN, good OR bad. Thanks.

--------------------------

PS: I finally got tired of the great big silence from CORBIN on these matters and fitted the two-pronged metal 'male' latch securing component from my stock seat to my new CORBIN seat, and I also affixed a rubber cushion of a similar type from a Yamaha seat I had, which works well enough to not even be noticeable, once the seat in securely in place. But STILL!?