Cant tell if it has the right seat

[adam]

OK, I have a 1982 Suzuki gs1100gz and so far I really haven't done much to it other than put a new set of carb's on it, replaced all the fluids, re;placed all the cables, put new brakes on the front and back, and currently have a set of tires on order for it. I did have a buddy inspect the clutch and valve clearance, he said the clutch is fine and he did adjust the valves for me. I do trust his work. I just got a set of MAC 4 to 2 exhaust pipes and plan on putting them on with in the next couple of weeks. The bike starts up and runs really good. It even rides really well, the only problem is that I cannot get the seat to latch into place. I am a near 280 lbs man and I know it would take a bit of force for the seat to come out from under me however, in my own opinion i just feel it isn't safe to ride with a seat that doesn't latch. I was wondering how to adjust it so it will or if it is even the right seat for the bike. From all the pics i have found the seat looks right for the bike but it just wont lock down. Any tips guys?

 

[dr_fosg8]

I would post up some pics of what the underside of your seat looks like and some pics of what the latch on the bike looks like.

Lots of folks with those bikes around here, some pics of what you are working with will do wonders.

 

[adam]

Here is a pick of it on the bike

 

[adam]

The latch on the tail

 

[adam]

the striker on the seat. Sorry about it being dark. by the time i get off work it is already dark and the lights in my garage aren't that bright.

 

[madjack57754]

Hard to tell what you have from that last picture. Does the latch actually work? Will it lock back when manipulated by hand? Does it line up properly to the striker bar?
If all the above work as designed, it may be just a misadjustment. I've got a GS that takes a bunch of pressure over the lock area to latch in. Just needs to be shimmed upward to fix it (just too lazy to do it though).

 

[Guest]

I had that problem on my '82 GS1100E. For me it was a matter of adjusting the lock, there's a little play here and there and the trick was finding the sweet spot where it mated with the latch properly before I tightened the lock mounting bolts.

 

[rustybronco]

That is the correct seat.

Assuming the seat latch is working properly...

Release the seat latch with the key and make sure it points upward at about a 45? angle. Insert the seat it to it's forward retainers and make sure the seat is as far forward as possible. Lift the rear of the seat about 8 inches and moderately slam it down. It should then latch. if it still doesn't latch shim the striker or try to move the seats latch upwards if possible.