Seat won't click back in

[Knapdog]

Took my seat off today and the catch won't click back in.
When turning the key you can see the mechanism moving freely.
I thought it may be something to do with my Utopia backrest that I fitted fairly recently but I took that off and the seat still won't close.
I can push a bent metal tent peg in of similar dimensions and it works fine but no chance with the seat when I put pressure on with my knee or sit on it.
Have also taken battery cover off and removed tool kit but some curse has been put on it.  
Any thoughts?

[Chrisj CMA]

Spray the mechanism with WD40. Make sure the tab and receiver in the rear of the seat are clear and unobstructed.

[Doug B.]

WD-40 is not a cure-all. WD stands for "water displacement". GREAT at that....nothing else.

[Bret SD]

Mine doesn't click right back in, after riding awhile it stays secure.. maybe vibration is what it needs. Haven't looked closely at it yet as the above method seems to work well for the few times I remove the seat. Next time I'll look at lubing the mechanism.

[Chrisj CMA]

WD-40 is not a cure-all. WD stands for "water displacement". GREAT at that....nothing else.

WD 40 is great for this application because it provides temporary lubrication without a lot of residue to attract dirt. If it improves things you know the mechanism needs to be lubed. If there’s no change you won’t have to remove it to avoid it getting gunked up

[Knapdog]

Still no luck with ratchet forcing seat down and back to basics with pillion seat off. . Very odd.

[Mooskee]

Verify the latch mechanism is not loose. Verify the loop on the seat is not bent.

[John Schmidt]

Sounds to me like something is preventing the U tab from lining up with the latch. Once the back has been slid into place you can lift the nose just enough to observe the U tab to see if it aligns with the latch hole.

[gordonv]

Sounds to me like something is preventing the U tab from lining up with the latch. Once the back has been slid into place you can lift the nose just enough to observe the U tab to see if it aligns with the latch hole.

I too couldn't install mine. Seems I did have those rear tabs inserted correctly, I was just snapping in the front clip. No issue in years of riding.

You need to align those rear tabs, and then take your knee to the back of the seat and force it towards the rear and try to push the nose down all at the same time. The hook isn't far enough back to fall into the latch. It's been a while, haven't ridden since 2019. I think you also bend the front nose up, force the seat rear ward, then place the nose hook into the latch.

[RonW]

"You need to align those rear tabs ....."


I found the rear tab allows some play and occasionally this misaligns the seat preventing the seat from latching.




That said, the two alignment cones (x below) on the front part of the seat *should* align the front of the seat to it's respective holes. So, it might be just my seat. Dunno.





[edit]

I've positioned the rear tab on top of the pocket (red and white arrow) instead of in the pocket. However, unlike your bike, I have a passenger seat
and it makes it hard to see the error. It becomes apparent when the loop refuses to latch.

[gordonv]

I've positioned the rear tab on top of the pocket (red and white arrow) instead of in the pocket. However, unlike your bike, I have a passenger seat
and it makes it hard to see the error. It becomes apparent when the loop refuses to latch.

And mine is an IS, has the rear most passenger portion alignment tab, easy under the back rest. But then you need to bend the seat and get that now center tab into that fender bracket (I was thinking there was 2 tab there), to be able to align the front pegs to the latch bracket.

It was only the last Rally 3 years ago I was at, that someone helped me close up my bike, and I saw what he had done, and the seat didn't move. I asked what he had done, and he showed me. I might have explained it wrong, but there is a knack to getting it done right.

[RonW]

Btw, what is the purpose of this hook?

[-mike-]

That's the hook for the OEM helmet cable "lock"

OEM Cable, Helmet Holder 77236-KAZ-780

-mike-

[RonW]

Thanks Mike, mystery solved. Every time I take my seat off I asked myself the question.

[Knapdog]

Still no luck this morning.
Rightly or wrongly I've started "shaving" parts off the seat catch to see if it will "catch".








This was a waste of time and I fear I may have overdone it so another seat catch ordered, albeit used , £15.
The two plastic seat prongs fit into the holes nicely so that's not the problem.
Will report back when next seat catch is fitted.
I've also tried my 2000, onwards, seat (meant to be comfier) as well but that also doesn't click in.
Really thinking it must be the catch.

[h13man]

The post 99' seat takes a little pressure to get to lock but once the seat wears in it was no issue later on.

[Knapdog]

After another frustrating period of failure, despite replacing the seat catch, the seat now clicks in a treat.
It was a slightly bent helmet holder that was stopping the seat engaging.
Once prised up a bit, it slotted into the oval hole in the seat base where it was meant to go.
What a relief....

[RonW]

Great find! I was meaning to ask about the hook being bent on my Valk, but since your hook was also bent in your photo, I incorrectly assumed that
was the way it was. It hasn't caused me problems. Yet.

[Jess from VA]

Get rid of that helmet lock (and hook).

One of those long cable gun-lock padlocks they throw in with every purchase works fine.