[Akari.Blue]

Since I knocked the bike over replacing the chain and sprockets, I needed to pull the seat off to check the battery. In the process, I sheared off the head of one of the seat bolts. Hardly any torque on the wrench and it just snapped clean! How annoying. I can take the seat strap off, which I meant to do anyway, and use one of those bolts instead of the sheared one. But there has to be a better way to hold the seat on.



I vaguely remember people on the old forum talking about alternatives to the seat bolts, ones that wouldn't require wrenches. I'd be interested to know what types of replacements are holding up well over time and lots of riding, if anyone would care to share.



Has anyone tried putting just headless screws in there as "posts" and used a strap over the cyclerack frame to hold the seat in place?



Akari

 

[PJungnitsch]

One of mine was sheared off when I got it, that seat fixing idea was not one of Yamaha's best inventions.



Lots of people seem to be using headless bolts with holes drilled for a clip.



I ended up using this, just extending the bolt head enough I can turn it by hand. Has been working fine hand tight, just one on one side. Might put a little copper slip on the threads.

 

[Gerry]

Had to chuckle. Here we sometimes spend so much time thinking of a design that NASA may have come up with. Here you just screw on a few oversized nuts as spacers and a grip surface and lockem in place to call it good.... It looks like it will work GREAT, and likely gave you back 55 minutes of prime-time living as some of the ideas we have come up with requires lots of hardware store browse time.......... Can't knock a simple idea that works......... Thanks, Gerry

 

[Rohnsman]

Read this thread...

 

[abyssdncr]

Read this thread...

I went with the hitch pin route. Just center punch & drill a few thou over the diameter of the hitch pin you pick up. I also added simple keyrings to the hitch pins so they're easy to pull out. Next time I'm at the hardware store I'll get some wire/braided cable to attach to each pin with the keyring in the middle. Grab the keyring & pull left, then right, voila!



With the hole already drilled, you can use a washer to simulate the seat tab to make sure they're snug to the frame. Just keep adding half turns to the stud until the clearance is tight, then double check fitment with the washer, remove and reinstall with blue loctite. This way you're assured they won't rattle out and if you NEED to remove them again, just insert the hitch pin for a handle.



Couldn't be happier with this cheap & simple little mod!

 

[Akari.Blue]

Read this thread...

Thanks for the link, Truelight I didn't think to look in that sub-forum before posting.



I had the idea of using a hitch pin through a headless bolt, but haven't because of the possibility of the pins getting knocked out when riding offroad. Plus my housemate's forbidden me from drilling or otherwise using any kind of power tools on metal without supervision, so I'm rather limited in what I can do.. *amused grin*



PJungnitsch, I like your idea of the longer bolt with multiple nuts. Very neat. I've probably got suitable things to make those already. I think I'll try that and see if I can avoid ripping any more bolts apart on my poor bike.

 

[805gregg]

I bought 2 bolts with counter sink heads, slid a 5/16" wingnut down to the head welded it there, then welded a washer on the bolt creating about the same length as stock bolt, then a piece of nylon strig attached to the bolt and swing arm so they cannot be lost.

 

[Fred]

This a decade old thread so I thought I'ld show my decade old bolt solution I still use on 2 TWs.
M6 x 1.0 thread in ~55mm length with jam nut.

Without ever looking under the seat I can find, remove, and re-install these lengthened bolts quite easily using fingers and 10mm socket/ratchet combo. Axial alignment is not critical as you can see from the ~30 degree off-axis socket-to bolt at top. Works in mud, snow, dark with cold wet fingers with socket, wrench or pliers if need be.

Folks have all sorts of variations and there are some sexy but pricey alternatives that all work. I just think this is a fairly clean, effective and elegant in its simplicity of design and function.
About $0.55 per bolt and maybe $0.08 per nut at Home Depot.
( I round the nuts with my grinder since aftermarket tanks force seat a few mm rearward from OEM location creating occasional tight tolerances for unmodified jam nuts)

I just had poor luck with a few wing-nut or complicated quick release assemblies that all eventually vibrated loose. The above are about 5 years old.

Just another one of many ideas out there.

 

[TW_in_BC]

Industrial-strength velcro on the rear-part of the seat...done.

 

[reddave]

This a decade old thread so I thought I'ld show my decade old bolt solution I still use on 2 TWs.
M6 x 1.0 thread in ~55mm length with jam nut.

Thanks, Fred! Old threads never die!!!

 

[vhortykho]

I like the velcro idea but even industrial strength hook & loop wears out to easily and if you're a tinkerer that seat will be on and off all the time. But what about 3M Dual Lock?

 

[808 Putt-Putt]

i have a set of the defender quick release seat bolts. it helps to snug them up with a wrench but if you have farmer hands you dont need to.
also, since im new i only ride on pavement and well packed dirt/gravel so not using any seat bolts seems to work pretty well too.

 

[Tiny-Wheel-200]

Ive done thousands of miles of trail riding with no bolts holding the seat on. Never had a problem. It really doesnt matter what you do because anything beyond just gravity is putting a hat on a hat.

Sent from my LML211BL using Tapatalk