Trouble fitting my seat - It won't fit!

I have this problem with my 2008 VFR 800. I have an original seat but ever since I got my bike back from the mechanics who did a service on the bike, I can no longer get the seat back in to place. I’ve had it off many times before but now I just can’t get it back again. It’s so frustrating because it mused to be quite easy but now I have no idea how to get it there. It’s like I get the front to line up properly, but the back plastic pieces on the sides interfere with the lugs on the back. I can slide it in there. I’ve tried so many times and I cannot understand why it doesn’t fit when I had no issue with it before. The mechanic also said he couldn’t put the saddle back, which made me question what they had done to it, because if an experienced Honda mechanic couldn’t do it, how could I evert get it back into place?

Please watch this video:

 

I am not familiar with this yea/model, but your high opinion of factory techs is unfounded from my experience. Just about every time I get a car/bike back, I have a lot of work to fix their errors. I stopped going to them many years ago unless it is something I can't handle. Good luck! Smart folk will chime in.

 

I'm not familiar with this model either, however, what work was done, what was removed and not put back properly?

 

In addition to the service they made to the bike, they were also looking for an error that made the idle go up and down in a very strange manner. They must have removed several parts in order to find the problem, but I cannot understand how that could have altered the seat and the frame. It's so strange that it fit perfectly before, but not afterwards.

 

So your front hooks won't hook in? Perhaps the fuel tank was off and now somehow sitting lower...... or something sitting up behind the tank and not letting it go down??? I'm not there, can't see.

 

I knew it would be difficult explaining the problem without people actuallu being there and seeing what happens. But I figured there might be one or two that have experienced similar things. It seems like the front "hooks" are in place, but when I lower the seat the rear lugs on the frame and the plastic parts on the seat don't really allign to hook in. They just land on top.

 

Hi Daniel and Welcome to the Madhouse

When you get time please add a post in the Introductions section and tell us a bit about your VFR and your riding history. If you add an approximate location (nearest city/town is ample) if you need help with a problem you may find someone nearby is willing to swing by and offer advice or pick up a wrench - especially if you have a well stocked beer fridge .

As for the seat I don't have a 6th Gen any more but I seem to remember encountering a very similar issue with my 6th Gen seat when it first arrived which i traced to the rear seat cowl.

I quickly realised that the seat could be installed and removed easily once I removed the seat cowl. Hence I never bothered with it after that. The other observation is that I don't recall installing the front end and then lowering the rear of the seat down, as you seem to be doing in the video.

What I recall you needed to do, was to first move the whole seat as far back as it would go. I had a factory fitted top box carrier - so once it was up against that rack the seat could not be moved any further backwards. I then had to lay the seat down almost flat and tilt it slightly down at the front to slide it forward to engage with the front mounting tabs and press down on the seat to engage the back. I also recall keeping a fairly comprehensive tool kit under the seat but it required careful packing or it too could prevent the seat from installing correctly. I certainly never had that large gap by the tank.

Good luck sorting out the seat. Let us know how you get on.


SkiMad

 

Missing tank grommet(s)?

 

I'm sorry, but tank grommets - what exactly are those? Are they some kind of spacers or something that should go on the metal bar on the frame? or somewhere on the tank possibly?

I have sich a hard time understanding how the removal of the tank could be what's causing the problems, since I don't really have any issues having it fit between the tank and the rest of the frame. It seems to fit correctly when holding it above everything, but it's when I'm supposed to lower it and slide it into place that I get trouble.

 

Hello mate! Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm sorry if I haven't gone through the normal procedures when becoming a member here. I'll try to update the intro section ASAP. I'm more than welcome to let someone swing by with a wrench to help me out. And my beer fridge is always filled ;-)

I have tried removing the seat cowl too, but it doesn't seem to matter. The cowl only rests ontop of the seat and doesn't interfere with anything, but maybe it becomes less fiddly if removed, I don't know...

I think I'm aware of the fact that I'm not supposed to put the seat on the way I do in the video. I was merely trying to show everyone where my problems arise. I wal alsro trying to film with my phone wile holding the seat and also having an eye on my 1,5 year old son who was sitting close to me in the garage. Maybe the tool-kit or something else can be interfering, it's possible, but when I hold the seat in close position to the lugs and everything and I sneek underneath the seat I cannot really see any interference with other objects, but then again; I might be wrong, and might not see everything well enough.

 

Hi Daniel.
I can't believe this could be a complex issue, surely the answer cannot be too hard to find.....maybe! Had three 6gens and not a single seat issue.

Do you have the Owners Manual? In the Seat Section of the manual it shows the best picture of how the seat forward and rear prongs hook under both of the bike front and rear stays. It also describes the proper install and remove procedure.

Suggest as a starting point remove all under the seat stuff, toolkit, tools, chain adjuster and handle etc, anything that could potentially foul the seat when installing. Closely inspect the underseat four plastic prongs for signs of damage. Check the rear bike stays for any bending or damage and nothing fouling them. Pop the cowl off just incase something isn't right with that.

As per the Owners Manual instructions, hook the two front seat prongs under the front bike stay bar pushing the seat forward and down to locate rear prongs into the rear stays.
If you have difficulty in getting the front of the seat located fully forward, check the bike front stay bar is not bent or damaged in any way, make sure there is no foreign object in the way, make sure the two rear fuel tank securing bolts are fully located.

Check your lock mechanism. Make sure that when you turn the key the lock latch moves freely out of the way to allow the rear of the seat to fully lock down. A stuck or jammed latch won't let the seat go to the down and locked state.

Good luck, keep us posted.

 

Did your son get any PlayDoh for Christmas? Put some under the seat and see where the hard interferences might be??

 

If you want to keep the seat cowl - then take the seat indoors and in good light check carefully that the clips underneath are all properly located. It should be self evident where they go but there are locating pins where they tuck beneath the seat and if not properly located will increase the seat height making it difficult/impossible to fit properly.

 

This sounds like a clearance, Clarence, issue.

Something moved on the seat, bike, or in-between.

Many of my bikes have a bumper/bushing at the rear of the tank.

 

I'm now happy to say that the issue has been solved. All I needed was an extra pair of eyes that could look under the seat while I was trying to get it into place. And he saw that a piece of plastic on the seat was pressing against the thick cable that ran from the power commander, which was velcroed on the frame. All we needed to do was to move the power commander slightly to the side and then we could easily adjust the seat forward.

Felt so great to finally get it in place again, even if this was a minor problem