Replacing the seat bolts on the VTX 1800

Preface
This is a pretty simple mod I did, the idea comes 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. I know that I, along with many others, have stripped out the stock bolts trying to remove them. This problem combined with the desire to get under the seat with relative ease resulted in this quick, simple mod.

Preparation/supplies

6mm allen wrench

10mm socket (w/ extension to make life easy)

Drill

3/8" metal-cutting drill bit

2 ball & detent pins, 3/8" diameter x 1"-1 1/4" in length

You can buy these at Home Depot ($3.78/each) or Lowe's ($2.47/each) in a 1 1/8" length.

You can also buy these as an alternative - thanks to Chicago-Spike of the VTXOA for that link.

R model guys can use McMaster-Carr #98404A368 - it's the same pin but 0.8" long - thanks to Pachary of the VTXOA for that link.

Process
To do this you'll need to remove the stock seat. If you don't know how (you probably should close this web browser and quit while you're behind, lol) you can see how at the beginning of my turn signal write up here. With the seat removed you'll want to drill the existing bolt holes with the 3/8" drill bit:

Take your time, be careful, and drill STRAIGHT. The last thing you want to do is slip with a metal cutting bit so close to your paint. I had a friend hold a shop vac over the drill bit while I drilled to eliminate any mess.
With the bike drilled we still need to enlarge the holes in the seat itself.

The drill made short work of these holes, and now the "hard" part of the work is done. Put the seat back on the bike, put the 10mm nut back on behind the passenger seat, and you can now push the ball & detent pins through the seat mounting points where the bolts used to be. Before I installed my pins I used a drop of marine grade grease on them to make installation/removal a little easier. With them in place you can rotate the "ring" portion of the pin up under the seat where it tucks away nicely (see pics below).

Afterthoughts
Dollar for dollar this is a great mod. It's inexpensive, 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. A BIG thanks to AtaDude again for this great idea!