Stuck Seat Latches

[Mitragorz]

Hey all.  First post here.  I just picked up a 1992 FJ1200 locally.  $600, Non-running, but appeared to be in great shape.  Plastics were in very good condition.  Wasn't running, though.  Owner said it needs carb work and a battery.  No big deal, and it won't be my first project bike.  The problem was that he couldn't get the seat up. 

So I brought it home and was fiddling with it this morning.  The helmet lock was stuck also but I was able to ree that up pretty easily.  But I couldn't for the life of me get the seat up.  I did a little research and learned about the two tabs that have to be flipped down.  They were down already.  Well, they looked to be... The were actually bent down.  As a bonus, when I was peering up from underneath to get a look at the latches, there's obvious mouse damage in there.  Lots of rust and corrosion and, of course, the smell.  But I need to get the seat off to get a good handle on what I'm up against. 

Any tricks for getting old latches unstuck?  I've been spraying them with PB and got them to wiggle a bit, but it's a tight fit up there.  No real room for a pry bar, but I was able to make small progress with one of those right angle flathed/phillips screwdrivers.  You know, the ones shaped like an 's'.

It's got a nice Corbin seat on it (well, nice on top... who knows what the mice did to it) and I'd rather not cut through it if I don't have to.

Ideas?

[Millietant]

Wow, that's a rusted mess under there !!

You need to get the key to turn the opposite way to the helmet hook "unlock", in the same keyhole and then you should be able to release the two latches. No amount of lube or penetrating fluid will get the latches to release unless the lock is "unlocked"

Before I'd start stripping anything else down, I'd concentrate on freeing up that lock first - if it took a while to get the key to turn one way to release the helmet hook, I'm sure it'll take a while to get it free enough to turn it the other way too. It should turn a full 90 degrees (1/4 of a turn) and the key should be horizontal when the catches are unlocked.

Let us know if that fails  

[Mitragorz]

Yeah, I need to get under the seat to see what I'm dealing with.

The key moves freely in each direction. The helmet hook freed up pretty quickly. A few taps with a hammer and it's working. Turning the key clockwise, it turns but there's no resistance. Not sure if I should feel spring tension or anything. But even with the key turned, those latches are stuck.

The mice piss really made a mess of things.

If I can't get this thing freed, I see that used latches are pretty reasonable on eBay. I suppose I could start drilling and hacking at the latch assembly and see what happens. 

[Millietant]

Yeah, there's very little resistance (almost none) on mine too, until it reaches the 1/4 turn position, then it stops dead.

But, it does sound as though a bit of drilling and hacking might be required.

[ribbert]

....But even with the key turned, those latches are stuck.

The lock only operates on the RHS, the LHS just has the lever.

I have found that those catches are always under load when latched and benefit from a thump on the seat with your fist (over the catch area) while loading up the lever with a reasonable about of force will momentarily unload the latch allowing the lever to disengage.
If you've got some movement back and forth it sounds like you've at least broken them free, now you just need to apply WD40 or similar, a can with one of those long straw nozzles would work well, and then repeatedly work it back and forth with pliers, but not enough to snap off the lever!

I'd hang off with the "metal work" until you've exhausted every other possibility, fitting new catches would be a PIA, avoid if at all possible.

Arthur

[Mitragorz]

Welp, I managed to snap off the right side lever. I might be able to grab what's left with my long funky vise grips but I'm not hopeful. I even tried a little bit of heat from a cigar torch, being careful not to light the mouse nest on fire. But no dice. I don't know how we'll PB works on mouse piss.

Unfortunately I'm on the road for the next week and a half so I won't be able to work on the left side until I get back.

Question:  are the latches the same through all years of FJ1100/1200?

[T Legg]

I know they are the same on my fj1100's and my 86 fj1200 I think they are the same on all models. Like Noel said tension from the seat may be holding the latch from releasing . Bouncing on the back of the seat and maybe pushing it forward in the direction of the gas tank while you pull the lever down may free it.
Here is a picture of the latch from the top with the seat removed. The seat latch  is held to the welded on bracket with the two Phillips screws. The part that holds the seat on retracts back when you pull the arms down.

[Mitragorz]

Thanks for those pics.  I had a pretty good mental image of how the seat operates.  I did try sitting on the seat while moving the latches, but no luck.  I do have one more idea of some kind of contraption I can fab up that might help, even with the one latch broken off.  And if that works and I can get the seat off and the RH latch off the frame, I can likely weld up a custom "tab" to replace what broke off. 

[Old Rider]

Im in with Noel and Travis push down on the seat at the same time you twist the key because there is a spring on the seat sides ,but first use plenty of WD-40 and spray it from many angles also into the lock then wait a day or 2 if it not opens
spray more WD-40 and wait. Another tip is if the latches are ratteling use some chainlube in there works on my bike

[ribbert]

I suppose I could start drilling and hacking at the latch assembly and see what happens. 

Hacking away at the locks with power tools could make a real mess and cause unintended damage to the frame and mounts and what you'd be buying on eBay is just the latches, not the welded mounts they screw into, they are part of the frame.

If I felt I'd exhausted all possibilities of freeing the latches and needed more drastic action, I'd cut up the seat and get to them that way. A seat shouldn't be hard to find nor should it cost much, if anything. The thought of going in there, mostly blindly, with drills and angle grinders is scary.


Noel