After deciding that I had to have the Corbin Beetle bags for my 2000 standard, I was dismayed to learn that the stock seat doesn't fit on the bike with these bags. A Corbin seat is reccommended (big surprise) because it is narrower and designed to fit with the bags. Problem! I didn't want a Corbin seat. I had sat on them and they are too low for me (6'2"). I also just put out $700.00 for the bags and didn't want to have to shell out another 500.00+ for a new seat.

Well, good news. As luck would have it, it's really easy to modify the stock seat to fit with the Beetle bags.

• Electric saber saw (hand held unit)
• X-Acto knife (or sharp utility knife, etc.)
• Marking pen
• Sandpaper, file, or dremel tool(best bet)
• Heavy-duty stapler (the kind you use for insulation, etc.)

1. After removing the driver seat from the bike, carefully pry/pull the staples from the rear and sides of the seat. You need to go pretty far up toward the front to get enough room to work. I did one side at a time.
2. Pull the vinyl up to expose the foam cushioning and plastic seat base. You'll be cutting an arc out of the foam and the plastic base to accommodate the arc of the top of the Beetle bag.
3. Mark the area that needs to be cut out. I used the good old method of eyeballing it so I can't give you exact measurements here. I just put the seat in place and used a black marking pen to draw the arc.
4. Use an X-Acto or similar knife to cut the foam off. Cutting the foam first provides a guide to follow when cutting the plastic with the sabre saw.
5. Use a sabre saw to cut the edge of the plastic seat pan out.
6. Check for fit. Place the seat back on the bike to see where you'll need to touch up. I used a dremel tool with a rough sanding bit to knock down the high spots and smooth off the edges.
7. Carefully staple the vinyl back in place. You'll have extra vinyl to work with now so try to keep it neat by folding and tucking where necessary.
8. Repeat the process for the other side and you're good to go.