2015 - what up with the seat ?!?! Won't hold

[TMTYWSH]

The rear bolts will not hold with the seat in place (they work fine with no seat). Yes, I'm pushing down and using a lot of force...I don't get it...I'm sure someone was fired over this design or worse (being Japan, you know).

 

 

[stickshift]

Are you sure the front is hooked in properly?

It helps if you put some pressure on the seat pushing it towards the front of the bike as you screw the rear bolts in by hand, finishing them off with a hex tool.

It's a bit fiddly, but it's a simple, lightweight method to secure the seat.

[D.A.]

Forcing the bolts is not generally the key to getting the seat back onto a 2015 FZ07 — it’s making sure you have the bolts properly aligned with the holes in the brackets on the frame. (And as @stickshift said, that you have the seat hooked-in correctly at the front.) 

You have to bend the foam corners of the seat upward quite a ways — far enough that the foam doesn’t put any pressure on the bolts as you’re trying to get them lined up. If the foam pushes against a bolt you’re trying to install, it’s very tough to get that bolt into its hole.

I find it is easiest to get these bolts started by using a hex socket on a long (like 10”) extension, as if it’s a makeshift screwdriver. Then once you get it started, attach the ratchet driver to the extender to complete the task, keeping the foam bent forward the entire time.

If these suggestions don’t work, you may not have the correct bolts, meaning the previous owner may have switched them out for some reason. When I bought my used FZ, there were a bunch of non-OEM fasteners on it as well as several missing collars for fasteners. For instance, the former owner installed a rear fender eliminator but apparently couldn’t figure out what fasteners went where when reassembling. Very annoying for me but easy to rectify once I figured out what the issue was. If you suspect that to be the case, post a photo of one of the bolts next to a ruler and one of us can compare it to our bike’s bolts.

BTW: it’s always a good idea to take a gazillion photos of how things go together before and even during any maintenance or repair job. That way you’ll have a visual reference if you get stumped when reassembling. 

Edited May 30, 2021 by D.A.

[ElGonzales]

It's only screwing a bolt into a thread, but you must have a 90° angle ... otherwise it is easy to damage the threads inside the frame. Once I had to take off the seat again and again on one afternoon and got annoyed by this construction. At this point  I started to use my mighty manly brain to find a solution and ended up with this:

M6 Bolt installed from the bottom side, screwed upwards.

  Bought some cheap knurled nuts made in china. I think there's no further description required.
You still have to make long fingers (I have small and long fingers, so no problem ).  For me it works smoother this way and I can remove the seat and put it back in less than 30 seconds without tools.
Perhaps it would also possible to drill a hole in the bolt and use a splint pin, secured with a wire 

[SkH]

I've owned and ridden 10 motorcycles to date.  The MT07 stock setup hands down is THE worst seat to remove and put back.  The angle of the bolt coupled with the cushion forcing the bolt to install at the wrong angle is just a disaster waiting to happen.  My seat, the left bolt threads are half stripped. 

The only reason for me to ever remove the seat was battery access and I have since installed a battery tender pigtail and rejoice at the fact that my interaction with the seat removal has been greatly lessened.

Edited May 30, 2021 by SkH

[Triple Jim]

1 hour ago, SkH said:

The MT07 stock setup hands down is THE worst seat to remove and put back. 

There must be some variation, because my 2020 seat is no trouble at all.

[Jerzee]

They changed the rider seat mount for the MTs. The screws for the seat are horizontal, easier to get to remove.

[TMTYWSH]

Went to home depot and picked up some longer allen wrench bolts and that did the trick.

Edited May 30, 2021 by TMTYWSH