Seat Won't Unlock

[RDMcD]

Never had a problem before, 5th gen,stock seat. The key turns the lock easily and the helmet hook drops down but the seat release won't move .It looks like the cable is trying to move but the latch mechanism at the seat is jammed. I've tried lubricating the lock and putting pressure on the seat but no luck. Anyone have a trick for manually releasing the latch?

[YoshiHNS]

Coat hangar. Had to do it on a GSX600. Very frustrating.

[Dutchy]

maybe a 5th gen owner can post pictures of of the latch area under the seat, so that Micky D can estimate where to hook?

[DFerrell]

Stock seat? On some of aftermarkets I've had to shim or grind a little. Have you tried pulling the lever while pushing down on the seat?

[Texfoto]

I played with the latch under the seat of my 5th gen to find out how it becomes frozen or locked in place. Since you've already tried to lubricate the release I think the only way to get the release to NOT move is either, A) it is already down and you just need to giggle the seat loose or B) the latch underneath the seat actually won't move because it is frozen.

I've attached a picture of my 5th gen's mechanism under the seat. Red rectangle is the latch part that holds the seat in place and locked. The red circle is what you need to get to if you have to resort to a hanger and have it pull the direction of the arrow. The yellow areas are where there is daylight and that is where you can try and slip in a wire to get the latch to release.

Even more importantly, if you remove the rear fairing, which you can without taking the seat off, you can get to it easier. For reference the holes you see on both ends are where my rear handles would be but are removed.