I have 2 corbins and a travelcade. i prefer the travelcade. i find that corbin are a little shy on the padding. my butt gets sore with it after 5-6 hours of riding.

I didn't see a full solution for a 98+ Katana by Travelcade. Is the gel pad the only option?

I use the corbin on the 98+ Kat (and had a previous corbin on my previous 00 Kat).

I find, given my inseam (32") and my height (a hair under 5'10"), it's ideal for both touring and railing. For touring, it provides a slightly lower perch with a wider butt area that also braces your upper thighs. It does use a denser than Suzuki foam and a wider seating area, so it can get away with being slightly thinner all-over (your weight spreads further). It does take time to break in properly, and when it first arrives, you'll probably find it a bit stiff and ungainly in width.
Compared to the 98 - 01 stock seats (which have a triangular pattern in the vinyl), the Corbins I use are flat leather, which makes it easier to shift left-to-right (& visa-versa) for railing. The slightly lower position also lowers the CG of the bike, slightly improving handling and cutting wind resistance (because more of you is out of the wind).

That said, there are other firms who either build saddles for the Kats or who will build a custom one-off saddle (Corbin will also custom-build to spec). The well known ones are listed here:

Most of these are "pillow" style saddles, which are great for long touring, but not so great for railing if you tend to move your body position.

You can probably also find a local upholstry shop that will custom make your existing seat into whatever you want.

The corbins have certain advantages on the 98+ Kats:
the 98+ saddles come with Cobin's custom seat pan, a stiffer, broader seat pan made of a resin & fiberglass combo. This means better support, but more-over also means you don't need to live without a seat while they build yours.
the cost is quite cheap compared to most, at $219 or so for the basic saddle in black leather. You can get leather panels in a variety of colors to try to match the bike (their red is a good match to the '00 Kat 600 red; the blues aren't that close to the '01 Kat 600 Candy Blue).

My advice if you take the corbin:
flat leather panels without textures permit the best movement.
flair stitching in the seat area (such as a GSXF logo) will become a source of water intrusion -- avoid if you tend to ride or park in the rain.
the stock material for the sides of the saddle (which flex a lot) and the roll that covers the upper seams is vinyl. Take it. I took leather last time and it has worn poorly.
if you want a template to test the various colors in different panels, I have one here that I made. PM me for it and I'll send it to you.
if you want the seat back for the back passenger, I'll be happy to sell you mine cheaper... I bought it for the GF, who used it a couple times, but then ended up with her own bike -- so it's been sitting on the shelf for a while in mint condition.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

ask Kat6, how had a 98+ kat last year at the rally he rode up from FLA. with CP. He bout a corbin from specialK at the rally and used it on the way home as I remember correctly.. Im sure his butt thanked him

I have a corbin on my '05 Kat 750 and I love it. It's wider in the seat, so it really helps after a couple of hours in the saddle. You won't be sorry to have one if you do any long distance rides.

I was really wanting to getting one of these as well but I heard that it lowers your seating position a bit. How much lower is it? Is it really noticeable? I am 6'6" so I am already a little tight on the Kat and if anything I would like to go higher not lower.

Mine doesn't feel lower and i'm 6'0". It just feels wider.

Corbin will tweak the seat height for you. Check out their website.


So would you recommend a textured panel for the passenger area to help them keep in place? I have not real feel for how textured the seats can be, but I have heard about people complaining about passenger seats being slippery.

I nabbed a 2nd hand Corbin for my '92 Kat at the end of last season ($75 off ebay). It's in pretty good condition, but I'm not a huge fan of the textured material that was used... after a long ride you can actually start to feel the texture (it's a rather coarse "checked" pattern).

I may look at getting/making a smooth cover - or see what Corbin would want to refurb the seat with a new material... I just need to remember to talk to them tonight (going to the Minneapolis Int'l Cycle Show).

I'd skip the Corbin and find one of the Gel Seats that Suzuki made for the Katana. They don't make them anymore, but if you do some searching you'll find one.

They are EXTREMELY comfortable, especially if you ride 2up or for long distances.

I had a Corbin on my 1988 1100 Kat and now on my2000 750 Kat. I swear by them and have done 450 mile days with no soreness. Definitely more comfortable than stock.

Because of the width, the distance for your legs to reach the ground is actually further than the stock seat. As tzortn said, they will customize it for you (send them your inseam measurement at time of ordering), including moving the seatback-curve for the front seat rearwards as desired. More-over, they will modify the saddle even after you've taken delivery of it (the first mod is free other than shipping). If you are anywhere close to their Hollister California facility, PM me and I'll get you an inside contact to reach to have them actually fit you in person.

The rear seat, especially if it's not broken in (used regularly) can be slippery. I know I condition my seats every so often, and since the rear seat is rarely used, it's slipperier than the front (waxy?). The rear has a bit of a curve to it (lower in the center) and my gf says it's better than the stock seat, but I'd be hesitant to recommend any pattern for reasons that have been mentioned (feeling it through your pants over time, trapping rain). A seat-back will take care of any scares about falling off...

How often do you ride 2-up?

The gel seats were made by Sergeant for Suzuki using Suzuki OEM seat pans. The first few production batches had all sorts of problems (seat pans bending in the curing ovens that Sergeant used), making for very bad fits and exposed wiring/frames/etc... The newer ones are supposedly a better fit, but if you're buying used, you have to be particularly careful that you don't end up with one of the ones from the first few batches (get close-up pics of it on the bike, and especially the front edges, before bidding!).
The gel seat is the same as the stock seat, with added gel-padding and a larger cover to compensate. It's something you can do for yourself readily enough, or have a local upholstry shop do. Personally, the position didn't suit my taste and I got rid of my gel-seat almost immediately, going back to a Corbin instead.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

Some people love them , some hate them . I bought mine from someone who HATED it , but I don't think it's too bad .

update: Corbin wasn't at the Mpls auto show, so I just shot them an email. To recover by "used" Corbin seat will run $170. New they're $229.

That's a bit much for my taste, so I'll either sell my current Corbin and order a new one, or just find a simple way to make some slightly smoother/softer padding on the seating surface itself.