The stock seat on the Aero is pretty standard Honda equipment. It's comfortable, could seat an elephant and it's gigantic. I have only ridden two-up twice, and have no plans on that changing in the future, so when i started looking at seats, solo models were a priority. The Corbin Hollywood Solo seemed to offer a very good price, and when Cruiser Customizing showed them for sale, i decided to spring for one.
Having read many of the reviews for the Aero model, i knew that from the start some modification would be needed for the two rear mounting bolts to work properly. This in mind, i removed the stock seat and test fitted the Solo. Sure enough, the left side lined up almost perfect, but the right side was almost a fill half-width off.
After trying in vain to simply use a drill and widen the whole, i decided to use several smaller bits to make two other holes that i would expand on. I made these holes to the right of the stock hole with a very small bit, then enlargened them with another bit several sizes larger. Finally, i used a third, larger bit, to get all three holes into one larger one. Unfortunately i didn't have a round metal file to clean up the hole, but it ended up being just the right size for the bolt.
The only other problem with installation was the velcro pads that Corbin use along with the flaps on the side to cover the mounting holes. A normal socket will not fit in these at the angle the mounting bolts need, so i used a knife to slice the velcro, allowing me to use a socket on both sides.
Fit is very good otherwise. The seat sits something like an inch lower, at least, and it's also narrower. The front of the seat stretches up higher on the tank, covering more of the rear, and making the tank flow better into the seat and to the rear fender. Overall, the look is very nice. On the comfort front, that's a bit different. The materials that Corbin uses are quite a bit stiffer than stock, and probably many of the other seats available. The call it a Comfort Cell, so it has some attributes that may make it comfortable over the long run, but it is pretty stiff.
Riding impressions are even more surprising. Some of the increased vibration is definitely due to the stiffer material, but some of it is likely due to the high preload i have on my Sabre shocks, which may be stiffer than the stock Aero parts. First gear is a blur, but second and on up are very familiar, just more visceral than before. The lowered seating position, combined with the dropped rear, make maneouvering even easier, but interestingly, the heel shifter has become slightly more of a chore because my legs are already bent rather far.
After riding the 12 miles to work in mixed city, state highway traffic, i did not find my rear end all that uncomfortable. Because the seat is narrower, and because my rear is wide, i do see the possibility of some interesting results, but i'll save any speculation for a future update.
Images
Stock seat
A side-by-side comparison of the two seats. The Hollywood is both
narrower and longer
Another comparison picture
Stock seat, side angle
Hollywood, side angle
Stock seat, rear angle
Hollywood, rear angle
Stock seat, front view
Hollywood, front view
Hollywood, high rear view
A closeup of the drilled out right-side mount