550 Maxim seat lock and rear compartment

I'm not clear about how the seat on my bike is supposed to be held in place. There is the metal tab on the bottom of the front that slides under the frame beneath the tank, plus there are two plastic latch tabs that are supposed to engage a couple of holes on the top of the plastic rear compartment. Those tabs and holes are very worn and don't lock together anymore.

Was that the whole latching system originally? I see that Chacal has a "hook latch assembly" for the 550 Maxim, but there is no other hardware on the bottom of the seat nor any holes or evidence that there ever was. Maybe this was a replacement seat???

There is a locking bracket on the left side of the frame above the side cover, but I'm wondering if that was just a helmet lock. I don't see any way in which that would have secured the seat. Also, I believe that originally used the ignition key which is long gone (and since replaced), so I can't even open it.

I'm also wondering about the lock on the rear compartment. That obviously used a different key than the ignition but it is also locked (in the open position). Any creative ideas for dealing with that or replacing it? The prices I'm getting from locksmiths have been surprisingly high. The last guy I talked to said $40 each to re-key them.

Thanks.

 

There should be two rubber straps inside the rear compartment with metal loops on the end that hook onto the two latch tabs on the seat. The holes in the rear compartment are just so that the seat tabs can reach into the compartment.

The thing on the side is the helmet lock, but my bike uses 2 keys: one for the ignition, and one for the gas cap, helmet lock, and rear compartment.

 

Having a separate key for the trunk lid of a 550 Maxim is actually a bonus: If you ever drain your battery (left the light on, for example), and you get a boost from someone (which requires the seat to be removed), you can put the seat back on and lock the trunk lid while the bike is still running. Very handy. DAMHIKT.

 

OK, I can see how that works now, tjb. Thanks.

Good observation, stereo.

 

PM Sent