newbie question on seat!

[81GS1000L]

Hi guys/gals...
Maybe the newbie silly question of the year....but rather ask so here it goes.
I have a 81 GS1000L. My goal is to get the seat lifted up to gain access to the battery, etc. THere is a key slot at the very back of my seat. I unlock it, try to lift it up, and no go. Now that im typing this i am wondering if i lift the seat sideways...will head out to check after possibly making a fool out of myself...lol. Regardless...does the seat lift up towards the handlebars or lift sideways on a set of hinges? Is there a release button i can't see? The seat does not budge when i turn the key so i am obviously missing the obvious. Had to come in and ask before i got to the point of using the BFH approach...lol.
Bear with me, as i am new , and will no doubt be asking more question.s
thx in advance
Rick

[Steve]

Turn the key to the right, pull the cylinder back about 1/2", lift the back of the seat straight up just a couple of inches.
Turn the key back to straight up, push it forward, now you can remove the key.
With the back of the seat lifted, you can slide it to the back, so it is out of the holders at the front of the seat.
You should not need the key to install the seat. Just line it up at the front, set the back down, it should latch into place.

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[81GS1000L]

thx

Thx Steve....had to give the seat a good hard slap due to the previous owners positioning of the saddle bags, but the cylinder popped out and all is good.
thx
Rick

[Steve]

My wife's 850L has leather saddlebags that I have running under the seat. Because of the extra thickness, I had to make a shim for the lock assembly so it would work correctly. There is some adjustment possible with the stock mount, but I needed just a bit more. I also use a couple of zip ties to keep the bags from sliding forward.