Fz6Junkie
New Member
So I have an 08 FZ6 with a brand new/new (I'll explain below) Corbin seat and after a six hour ride through God's country in the Smoky Mountains (Cherohala Skyway), not only was my crotch numb, but upper back between the shoulder blades just below the top of my spine was an 8/10 on the pain scale. By hour #4, it felt like someone was twisting my muscles with locking pliers and seriously couldn't feel my twig when I stood up to reposition it in my pants. We were in a 10 bike group ride and every 30-45 minutes, we would take a 10 minute break but as the day wore on, the pains came back at faster intervals. I didn't feel anything until an hour or so into the ride but by the end, I was in agony.
I was two-upping with the wife so that may have played a part in how I sat which was pretty much my sack against the tank and, maybe my muscles weren't used to the 3000 foot vertical difference between Knoxville and the Cherohala. We two-up all the time on 1-2 hour mountain runs but not that much of a difference in vertical change. Now I know the Corbin says they use foam that is purposely more rigid that other custom builders and the stock seat and, that after a typical riding season, it should soften up or conform to our butts. Problem is, I'm not sure I can stand (or sit) it much longer. It's been 4 hours and part of "my part" is still a bit numb.
My wife originally had an issue with the first Corbin I ordered as the way they made the rear seat for the FZ6 caused her pain within 30 minutes and then she went numb down there. The shape of her seat was convex and most of her butt/thigh area was not supported at all. So, Corbin took the seat back and I had it reshaped just like the FJ-09 which is flat with a concave shape. It supports her amazingly now and she's good for at least a couple of hours before she gets sore. But just like me, as the hours roll on even with resting breaks, her pain intervals get shorter and shorter.
I know the FZ6 isn't a long hauler but I have a couple of friends half our age (we're in our late 40s) who ride cross-country on an identical FZ6 but with a different Yamaha custom seat. So is it me, the seat or the bike? I'm 5'10" at 195lbs and the wife is 5'1" and 110lbs. One of the guys I rode with jokingly said I should step up to his FJR1300 and after today's ride, I jokingly agreed. He did say to try a bar riser as maybe my riding position is messing with my back which never bothers me with anything else I do.
I was two-upping with the wife so that may have played a part in how I sat which was pretty much my sack against the tank and, maybe my muscles weren't used to the 3000 foot vertical difference between Knoxville and the Cherohala. We two-up all the time on 1-2 hour mountain runs but not that much of a difference in vertical change. Now I know the Corbin says they use foam that is purposely more rigid that other custom builders and the stock seat and, that after a typical riding season, it should soften up or conform to our butts. Problem is, I'm not sure I can stand (or sit) it much longer. It's been 4 hours and part of "my part" is still a bit numb.
My wife originally had an issue with the first Corbin I ordered as the way they made the rear seat for the FZ6 caused her pain within 30 minutes and then she went numb down there. The shape of her seat was convex and most of her butt/thigh area was not supported at all. So, Corbin took the seat back and I had it reshaped just like the FJ-09 which is flat with a concave shape. It supports her amazingly now and she's good for at least a couple of hours before she gets sore. But just like me, as the hours roll on even with resting breaks, her pain intervals get shorter and shorter.
I know the FZ6 isn't a long hauler but I have a couple of friends half our age (we're in our late 40s) who ride cross-country on an identical FZ6 but with a different Yamaha custom seat. So is it me, the seat or the bike? I'm 5'10" at 195lbs and the wife is 5'1" and 110lbs. One of the guys I rode with jokingly said I should step up to his FJR1300 and after today's ride, I jokingly agreed. He did say to try a bar riser as maybe my riding position is messing with my back which never bothers me with anything else I do.
