General topics » Any advice for removing stuck seat?

I'm trying to remove my seats but the key won't turn to trip the release. I have applied downward pressure to front and rear of both seats while trying to turn, even my entire weight on one knee to all portions of the seats. I also have tried lifting while turning as well as pushing them forward and rearward. I took out the 4 screws to try to remove the side panels along the seat but it still is attached probably by one under the seat. At this point I can't recall exactly what the release mechanism holds, the rear of the front seat or the front or rear of the rear seat? Knowing this would at least allow me to focus on the right part of the seat. Also which way to turn the key.
Any thoughts? If anyone could post a picture of the mechanism with seats removed it might help me. TIA

My strong advice unless you have an emergency is to take your time sorting this.

(1) Spray some lubricant into the key hole and to the surround, relax, have a beer and try again tomorrow
(2) Get yourself a dedicated key cut for this task (and to use with panniers). People have broken expensive keys especially if remote trying to remove the seat.

My RS is currently at the back of the garage behind two other bikes and so I cannot check but p.96 of my 1250RS manual refers. Download an online manual and read the relevant paras.

Key turns to the LEFT.
You remove the rear seat first pressing down at the rear and up at the front.

Chris

Zitat von PlacidoD im Beitrag #2

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My strong advice unless you have an emergency is to take your time sorting this.

(1) Spray some lubricant into the key hole and to the surround, relax, have a beer and try again tomorrow......

....Key turns to the LEFT.
You remove the rear seat first pressing down at the rear and up at the front.

Chris

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Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #3

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someone else had this problem recently and found the handbook stored under the rider's seat had fouled the mechanism.

The latch is at the front of the pillion seat but there is a bar running under the rear of the rider's seat from the lock. I suspect you have something like the manual fouling the movement of this bar, indicated by the tip of the pencil. Also pictured is my dumb key as mentioned by Chris, kept on the same keyring as my house, disclock and Givi luggage keys so it can live in an outside non-waterproof pocket for ease of accessibility on a tour.

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I was the one that had the manual blocking the mechanism, and ended up breaking off the key from the fob (had to replace the key blank, not the whole fob). I downloaded my manual to my phone so I never have to carry the manual again.
When the key broke, it also scratched scratched my seat. I called BMW Motorrad to tell them what happened (using the storage area as designed and damaged my key/bike). They told me tough luck...
Glad you got it open damage free

I feel fortunate to have opened it w/o bending or braking the key, I do know to be very careful to strap the manual in tightly now.

I store a few things under the pillion seat, and it makes it hard to open sometimes.

Anything that pushes either seat upwards (such as the manual) will do the same.

Turning the key anticlockwise applies pressure to the spring rod that runs laterally and engages with the hook on the front underside of the pillion seat, but it won't move off the hook easily if the hook has upward pressure.

I have found that I often have to put downward pressure on the front of the pillion seat as I turn the key. Sometimes this means thumping in the seat as I turn the key.

With the seat off you can turn the key and see how the mechanism works.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Only thing under my seat was the manual and the only way to open it was brute force...
IMG_0503.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

My manual is on my phone as a pdf. I don't carry the hard copy under my seat. Problem averted LOL

I had this problem with the seat release on my K100RS. After trying many lubricants, my friend in the UK BMW club recommended using ACF50. Strange I thought, but it worked!

Just an add-on to this thread as I’ve just gone through the stuck seat situation. The key would turn but not quite enough. Tried all the techniques to put pressure on the pillion seat - nothing!

I had put a few compact tools under the pillion seat and in the manual recess under the rider seat.

Eventually, I leaned the bike slightly right, and tapped the Grab handles with a rubber mallet. The key turned a fraction more, then grabbing the pillion seat diagonal corners, added slight rotational pressure and it came up!

The cause? Like the manual problem above… it was the tools under the rider seat that had shifted were impinging the key mechanism.

My advice:
1) Don’t put anything at all under the rider seat - maybe the manual securely fastened but, as above, maybe not even that!

2) If you get into this situation, you’ll appreciate a dumb key to avoid risk to your main key. Worth getting one as others have done & can use for the panniers/box etc. I’m in the UK and mine cost GBP-12.

3) Worth lubing the catch. I used a tiny bit of ACF50 from advice above.

I’ll add a short video of the mechanism - it’s this bar that gets fouled by stuff shifting under the rider seat.

Hope that helps
Paul