Seat Pin Mod
Posted by Bare | Last Updated May 27, 2014This is a pretty simple mod. The idea comes to us courtesy of AtaDude of the VTXOA. The basic concept is to fix the problem inherent in the seat bolts on the VTX. No matter how loose you leave these bolts, they always seem to snug up ridiculously tight over time. This article was originally written for the 1800C model but over the years it has been adapted to work for just about every bike. The only real difference is the length of the pins used.
Required tools/Materials
- Tools to remove seat
- Drill
- 3/8″ metal-cutting drill bit
- Dab of grease (no particular kind is required)
- Two 3/8″ diameter ball & detent pins (see pic below)
- 1800C model requires 1″ – 1 1/4″ length (available at Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc)
- Other models can use McMaster-Carr #98404A368, it’s the same pin but 0.8″ long – thanks to Pachary for the part number
- (Optional) T-handle pins – thanks to Chicago-Spike for the link
Process
To do this mod you’ll need to remove your seat. With the seat removed, drill the existing bolt holes with the 3/8″ drill bit:
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Take your time, be careful, and drill STRAIGHT. The last thing you want to do is slip with a drill bit so close to your paint. I had a friend hold a shop vac over the drill bit while I drilled in order to eliminate any mess.
With the holes drilled on the bike, you now need to enlarge the 2 corresponding holes in the seat itself. The drill makes short work of these holes. Once these holes are drilled, the “hard” part of the work is done.
Put the seat back on the bike and reinstall the rear bolt behind the passenger seat. You can now push your new ball & detent pins through the seat mounting points where the bolts used to be. Once you know everything fits as it should, remove the pins and cover them with a very light coat of grease. This will make installation and removal a little easier. Don’t go overboard with the grease, it’ll just make a mess.
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That’s it – you’re done – congratulations!
Afterthoughts
Dollar for dollar, this is a great mod. It’s inexpensive, it’s easy, and it provides me with the peace of mind that I never have to worry about stripping my seat bolts again – much less stripping them when I’m miles away from home and need to access my battery. This article primarily details the specifics of doing this mod on a VTX 1800 C model but I know riders who have adapted the process for every make, model and seat available for the VTX. Just measure to ensure you get the proper length replacement pins. Once again, big thanks to AtaDude for this great idea!
Hi, Do the pins rattel when installed?
I just did mine. No the pins will not rattle, if you use the 3/8” drill bit, and then use 3/8” pins. In fact, I had to wobble my drill to enlarge the hole just a tad, otherwise the pins didn’t want to go in.
This mod is a must if you have saddlebags installed! I always had to remove the bags to get to the bolts to remove the seat, not anymore just pull the pins and the seat comes right off! Awesome improvement!!
I had one of my bolts seize up on me. It took me about an hour just to get one bolt out & I know exactly what you mean about the saddlebags…what a pain in the ARS that is! 🙂 I’m doing this mod this weekend!
This is another one of those mods you’ll be really glad you did. I just completed this mod on my 1300C and couldn’t believe how easy it was.
Since I have hard bags mounted, I drilled from the inside out, (from inside seat area toward rear). The seat hole was already large enough and required no drilling there.
I opted for the McMaster pins with.9″ usable length and added a thin rubber washer to them.
I also wrapped the split-ring with electrical tape to prevent scraping on the fender rail.
The difference is amazing, no more wresting with aligning the allen-head screws, just a simple push in/pull out.
Thanks for the great idea and for sharing the information.
Ride safe
Howdy folks, This probably a silly and pointless question has anybody done this mod with the passenger seat on a VTX, that is the bike my wife rides and due to some health issues it sat for a couple years and have had nothing but problems with the seat bolts on the passenger seat and being as I need to replace pretty much all the bolts I seen this and was considering this as an option, not for cost but maybe for a simpler disassembly and reassembly …Thanks a million all…!!!!
Hey. Did you do the mod for the passenger seat? I am considering doing that now. Kind of worried about making it too easy to steal though.
Is there a passenger seat mod for the VTX 1800C? My bolt broke off the rear at the passenger seat mount.
Seat mod works like a charm. Simple, quick and easy. Thnak you for posting it.
Seat mod still works in 2021 on my 2007 VTX 1300R. I worked some heat shrink tubing onto the split ring so it wouldn’t be hitting my chrome metal-to-metal. I used the McMaster-Carr #98404A368 pins. They still have them. They’re still good quality.
My saddle bags hide them which is a bonus as no one can tell they are easy to remove.
Thanks a Bunch!