I know I can't be the first one to experience this problem, so I chalk it up to not searching the forum properly. Went to remove the front seat on my 08GSA (air filter change)...and the damn thing won't release. Key won't even turn forward. Rear pillion seat releases and comes off fine. So how the hell do I fix this? I've crawled under the bike and can't see a way to access the pawls. Can't see them when I remove the rear seat. Am I going to have to take the bike to the bloody dealer to have this rectified? Once fixed, how do I keep it from reoccurring? Thanks in advance, ONE VERY FRUSTRATED BALD WHITE GUY!
I have to push down very hard on the aft portion of the seat while turning the key...If I don't push, the key won't turn. Hope it helps!
If you recently experimented with trying to change the angle of slope on the seat, by maybe shaving the rubber bumpers off or shimming them up higher----you may have bent the 2 "hooks" that snap over the rear aluminum parts of the seat, and once it snaps shut after that it is very difficult to open again. The "hooks" get bent when the seat is installed but its not in a position for the hooks to latch so the weight of the rider is applied directly to those hooks bending them slightly. They are not very robust. Try pushing VERY hard downward while trying to turn the key. If you haven't done anything I mentioned above, then its probably something else. Edit: Make SURE you are turning the key in the correct direction for the rider seat! BTDT also.
Pushing down on seat while turning key (in right direction), sitting on seat, while turning key. Have not made any adjustments to the system (shaved/shim, etc). So far, it's just plain stuck. Thanks for the input. Rgds
Mine is the same. If the key turns to the right to release the back seat at least the cylinder is not seized. I have had to pound my fist on the center of the back of the seat while turning the key to release it, no really, it seems to jar all the moving parts to start working together like they should. Good luck
Try pulling on just one side of the seat at a time--at mid-point and then at the rear corners--but pull only one side at a time and try to deform the seat pan when doing so. Try to get only one side loose at a time. This may bend the hooks but maybe the only way to get it off. You may be able to get one of the front corners to release this way. When you get it loose, look at both of the "hooks" for signs of bending forward slightly, they are flat stamped thin metal parts and will deform easily. Bob393 do the same--bet you are close to being in the OP's predicament. Edit: stand on the foot pegs with your butt on the tank facing the rear of the bike and pull like hell from that position. Try pulling in mid-seat. After pulling really hard, try the key to see if you were able to bend the hooks a little.
One more thing to try. Seat front flexes upwards easily so try grabbing the FRONT edge of the seat and pulling it up and back. If you can get the front free, you may be able to release those hooks with a long screwdriver.
And do let us know what you find. I may end up adding a "secret release cord" to mine. I do not trust that mechanism.
The mechanism is horrid. One fix when and if you get it apart is to slip a piece of plastic tubing over the release to make it open wider. You must "strike" the rear of the seat to get it to go down at the same time as you turn the key. Did I say it was horrid. Some have run a release under the box. Relax. Don't break the key. Grab a beer. Enjoy.
If you're having to "strike" the seat to get it in place, I think you may still have a problem. Once I got mine apart and bent those hooks back as far as possible, it slips into place with no effort--but ONLY if the seat is in the perfect position--which is sometimes hard to tell when you're looking at it from the side. I've found myself struggling with it, then I just slide the seat a little further over to where it looks off-center but it then falls right into place. Forcing it when not in optimal position can bend those doobers to where you can't get it back open. As we are seeing.
Appreciate all of the additional input. I don't recall anything out of the ordinary the last time I put the seat back on a month or so ago. Will attack the problem again when the sun once again rises and advise alcon of results. For the time being, I've put the 5lb sledge hammer aside Rgds
If you have stowed something under the seat, or the under-seat tool roll is too big or not sitting down into its tray all the way, it will keep the seat from "depressing" the bit it needs to so the latch mechanism can open. I found this out when I stowed a very small (1/4" OD) security cable under the seat on my '08 GS. I tucked it up under the rear luggage platform (that the pillion seat sits on top of). While riding it had migrated down under the rear part of the rider's seat which kept me from depressing the seat enough to release it. I removed the screws holding the plastic rear luggage platform, lifted it up from the back and with a flashlight saw what the problem was. I fashioned a hook from a coat hanger and pulled the cable out from the back. It took me hours to figure this out. Good luck! Dorian
Following guidance from the gallery, I pulled the the left and right sides of the FRONT of the seat until the tabs popped out of place. I was able to push the seat slightly rearward and lift it enuff to get the front bar to release. Once done, I wiggled and lifted the seat at bit more...and the right rear hook released. Turing the key to release the left hook did no good. Still jammed. Was able to get underneath and basically remove the rear bar. With seat now firmly in hand, the culprit was located. The unused connector to my AUTOCOM had wedged behind the clip, jamming it (Thanks Dorian)! Bars back in place, offending AUTOCOM connector relocated and problem solved. There was some trepidation on my part when I pulled the two front tabs loose, out and to the side. But it gave me the room to both see under the seat, and get my hand in there to release to bar and subsequently work the seat up and off. Thanks to one and all for the guidance and advice. Couldn't have done it w/o you guys. Ride Hard/Ride Safe, SKINNER
