Took a little time this morning to add the emergency seat latch release to my 2013 Burgman 650.
From what I've seen of earlier models and the B400 the latch bracket is different and less accessible to breaking into and releasing the latch without simply using a crow bar to break the latch loop from the seat. There is a heavy cover over and around the latch that extends to the frame on each side around the latch release cable. You can see it in the photos I've attached.
I used about 24 inches of steel cable and a couple of cable crimp ferrules to make my emergency release.
*****
BTW- for those who have the back rest and don't know how to get that apart:
1- There is a large tab at the top of the back rest frame that fits into the top center of the pad. DO NOT SIMPLY PULL ON THE TOP OR YOU WILL BREAK THE HOLDER FOR THAT TAB! There are 2 pins on the back near the bottom of the pad that press fit into grommets. Pull forward on the bottom of the back rest pad to release these pins from the grommets. DON'T pull very far but just enough to feel the pins pull out of the grommets. Then lift the pad up and forward (toward the front of the scoot) to lift off the large tab at the top.
2- There are 2 hex socket bolts, one on each side of the plastic panel that covers the seat latch and fills in under the back rest pad. Remove those. There are also 2 plastic rivets at the top of this same panel that need to be removed. I use a cross point (Phillips) screw driver to first push in the center pin of the rivet and then it can be pulled out. Then remove that plastic panel.
3- The back plastic cover is next and I removed that to make it easier to get at things for this farkle. Look at the frame that the back rest pad was attached to and find the 4 screws that hold the back cover in place. Remove those being careful not to drop them down inside. There are 2 latch hook/tabs on each side of the bottom edge of this cover that you need to be careful about releasing as you lift the cover off angling to the back as well as 2 more along the back bottom edge. Then remove this cover.
4- I also removed the trim plastic that fit around the back cover just to see how that removes for when I replace my back rest with a luggage rack/top case plate. There are 2 latch hook/tabs on each side of the outer edge of this same as the back cover and also 3 across the back edge. There is also a pin in the center that fits into a grommet that you must lift the trim plastic straight up to release.
5- At this point you will see the 3 bolts that hold the back rest frame on the scoot. Those same 3 locations are used to mount the Givi and also the Suzuki top case bases. I did not remove this frame since I was now able to get to everything I needed for this farkle. But good to know about it for the top case farkle later on.
*****
Back to the subject of this post.
The cable I used was just a bit larger diameter than it needed to be, I guess, and it just barely fit through the slot that the factory seat latch release cable fit through. Looking at the latch I could see the slotted stud used to release the latch with the factory cable running through the slot and a cotter pin through the end to hold the cable in the slot. There was enough space in the slot with the factory cable in there to allow another cable to fit through. In my photo you can see I used a skinny long nose pliers to assist getting the cable fed through the slot. I used those to push my cable under the factory cable to loop around and back since I wanted my cable to be looped around the bottom of the slotted stud. I pulled enough back up through the opening in the latch housing to put the ferrule over the ends to make the loop and crimped the ferrule with vise grip pliers. I set the vise grips to crimp a little at first and then repeated tightening the vise grips each time. Then did the same to the other half of the ferrule (since there are 2 sides to it).
Then I made a smaller loop just big enough for a finger pull in the other end of my cable and crimped on the other ferrule for that loop.
When I was done with that I fed the finger loop end and the rest of the cable back under the latch bracket and down beside and outside the storage box same as many here have done. (I leave you to imaging what side or where exactly that is :grin )
When I finished I found that the finger pull loop on the end of my cable does NOT extend below the side plastic so you cannot see it by looking unless you get your head under the scooter and also know exactly where to look. :grin
But I know where it is and can find it easily.
I will say it works perfectly as expected. I don't expect any problems with the factory latch release cable rusting or breaking on such a relatively "new" scooter but now I have no worries when or if it does and I also have an alternate way to release the seat latch. To add to that I also don't have any worries should I inadvertently have an "old man moment" and somehow leave my key in the under seat storage and latch the seat closed! Actually, that would be more likely for me in the near future than having the cable break IMO. But stranger things have happened. And I do also have a spare key hidden elsewhere on the scooter... some place.
I've only included a few photos of the latch and threading the cable at the latch here since that is more what everyone wants to know. Where you put the other end of your cable and what you may loop it onto is entirely open to what you want to do.
Hope this helps anyone else with a 2013 or newer Burgman 650 wondering how to do this mod.
From what I've seen of earlier models and the B400 the latch bracket is different and less accessible to breaking into and releasing the latch without simply using a crow bar to break the latch loop from the seat. There is a heavy cover over and around the latch that extends to the frame on each side around the latch release cable. You can see it in the photos I've attached.
I used about 24 inches of steel cable and a couple of cable crimp ferrules to make my emergency release.
*****
BTW- for those who have the back rest and don't know how to get that apart:
1- There is a large tab at the top of the back rest frame that fits into the top center of the pad. DO NOT SIMPLY PULL ON THE TOP OR YOU WILL BREAK THE HOLDER FOR THAT TAB! There are 2 pins on the back near the bottom of the pad that press fit into grommets. Pull forward on the bottom of the back rest pad to release these pins from the grommets. DON'T pull very far but just enough to feel the pins pull out of the grommets. Then lift the pad up and forward (toward the front of the scoot) to lift off the large tab at the top.
2- There are 2 hex socket bolts, one on each side of the plastic panel that covers the seat latch and fills in under the back rest pad. Remove those. There are also 2 plastic rivets at the top of this same panel that need to be removed. I use a cross point (Phillips) screw driver to first push in the center pin of the rivet and then it can be pulled out. Then remove that plastic panel.
3- The back plastic cover is next and I removed that to make it easier to get at things for this farkle. Look at the frame that the back rest pad was attached to and find the 4 screws that hold the back cover in place. Remove those being careful not to drop them down inside. There are 2 latch hook/tabs on each side of the bottom edge of this cover that you need to be careful about releasing as you lift the cover off angling to the back as well as 2 more along the back bottom edge. Then remove this cover.
4- I also removed the trim plastic that fit around the back cover just to see how that removes for when I replace my back rest with a luggage rack/top case plate. There are 2 latch hook/tabs on each side of the outer edge of this same as the back cover and also 3 across the back edge. There is also a pin in the center that fits into a grommet that you must lift the trim plastic straight up to release.
5- At this point you will see the 3 bolts that hold the back rest frame on the scoot. Those same 3 locations are used to mount the Givi and also the Suzuki top case bases. I did not remove this frame since I was now able to get to everything I needed for this farkle. But good to know about it for the top case farkle later on.
*****
Back to the subject of this post.
The cable I used was just a bit larger diameter than it needed to be, I guess, and it just barely fit through the slot that the factory seat latch release cable fit through. Looking at the latch I could see the slotted stud used to release the latch with the factory cable running through the slot and a cotter pin through the end to hold the cable in the slot. There was enough space in the slot with the factory cable in there to allow another cable to fit through. In my photo you can see I used a skinny long nose pliers to assist getting the cable fed through the slot. I used those to push my cable under the factory cable to loop around and back since I wanted my cable to be looped around the bottom of the slotted stud. I pulled enough back up through the opening in the latch housing to put the ferrule over the ends to make the loop and crimped the ferrule with vise grip pliers. I set the vise grips to crimp a little at first and then repeated tightening the vise grips each time. Then did the same to the other half of the ferrule (since there are 2 sides to it).
Then I made a smaller loop just big enough for a finger pull in the other end of my cable and crimped on the other ferrule for that loop.
When I was done with that I fed the finger loop end and the rest of the cable back under the latch bracket and down beside and outside the storage box same as many here have done. (I leave you to imaging what side or where exactly that is :grin )
When I finished I found that the finger pull loop on the end of my cable does NOT extend below the side plastic so you cannot see it by looking unless you get your head under the scooter and also know exactly where to look. :grin
But I know where it is and can find it easily.
I will say it works perfectly as expected. I don't expect any problems with the factory latch release cable rusting or breaking on such a relatively "new" scooter but now I have no worries when or if it does and I also have an alternate way to release the seat latch. To add to that I also don't have any worries should I inadvertently have an "old man moment" and somehow leave my key in the under seat storage and latch the seat closed! Actually, that would be more likely for me in the near future than having the cable break IMO. But stranger things have happened. And I do also have a spare key hidden elsewhere on the scooter... some place.
I've only included a few photos of the latch and threading the cable at the latch here since that is more what everyone wants to know. Where you put the other end of your cable and what you may loop it onto is entirely open to what you want to do.
Hope this helps anyone else with a 2013 or newer Burgman 650 wondering how to do this mod.