Mike Corbin has been making bags and fairings for over fifteen years, though most people know him only as a seat maker. But, he’s had a lifelong fascination with Bonneville racing which transferred over into his business by way of designing fairings. Corbin does all their own fiberglass work in-house, it is all handmade and hand-laid. he sells his items in primer or color matched. The bags on this Sportster were specifically designed for this model only, hence they fit tightly and look good. Quality doesn’t come cheap, however, and a color-matched set will push you back $1,699. you can save $350 by painting them yourself, The fairing retails for $1,399 painted or $1,199 in primer. The bags are very spacious, about 39 liters each which is quite a bit more than the large ones that come on the full-size Harley-Davidson baggers.

Details include a thick, grey liner inside the bags to protect your persinal items, weather stripping of the lids (which Rodent tested in light rain and several washings with no leaks), and locking lids. Both the fairing and the bags use a quality gel coat that hides the fiberglass weave and gives the items a very stylish appearance. Other than some exposed wires inside the bags leading to the relocated blinkers, we found little to criticize. These wires could be re-routed with a little ingenuity. You can see more photos of these products and one in black at www.corbin.com. We had so much interest down here in El Paso, that we ordered a set for a floor model, so you can check out www.barnettharley.com for more pictures of an XL1200L model done up this way soon. Corbin fiberglass products come with a lifetime structural warranty for their original owner and the finish and paint are covered for a year.
Overall, all our staffers were impressed with this product.

Aftermarket Stage 1 Kit Next Issue in Staff Bikes

We all know that The Motor Company offers tuning kits for their bikes, Stage 1 usually referring to high flow air cleaner, some freer flowing, slip-on pipes and a download to the ECm to change the fueling to match the new components. Harley offers a download to the stock ECM or a Race Tuner which can be pretty much infinitely adjusted. What about the aftermarket?For next issue, Rodent’s XL1200C will be a guinea pig for a stage 1 kit that we’ve put together for him. We’re going to install the Ness Big Sucker air cleaner to get some more air in the bike. To hasten its exit, we’ll install a slick-looking Samson Caliber Ray Price Limited Edition two-into-one header, with its chrome pipes covered by the blackened heat shields. To regulate the gas flow, we are going to use a Terry Components Terminal Velocity black box. This programming product, if it lives up to its claims, should prove very interesting. It is supposed to constantly modify its own mapping, tuning itself to the specific changes you’ve made to your bike as you ride. We’ll give you before and after dyno numbers, easy of installation reports, gas mileage numbers, and our subject opinions.