Tips on removal of 2010 ST1300 stock seat

I am unable to get the seat off my new ST1300 2010 bike. Owners manual says to simply "push down and pull back" . I am doing this but nothing gives way. I do not want to break it. Do you have to remove the passenger seat first to get the rider seat off ?

Yep, you have to remove the rear seat first. Mellow posted a good link on how to do it at https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?45158-ST1300-Rear-Seat-Removal.

Have you opened the right saddle bag lock and pushed the little seat release tap under there down?

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm. Mine's on the left

By "the right saddle bag lock" I expect Jeff meant "the correct saddle bag lock" ! :

I agree that the owner's manual could be clearer about the need to remove the rear seat first. (I don't have a rear seat so I don't have this problem!)

I never took off the rear seat first. I had no problem removing both front and back as a unit.

I think the key here is the need to first unlatch it with the little lever under the left saddlebag lock.

Inside the left saddle bag lock is a lever. Push down on that lever and lift up on the back seat first. Once the back seat is removed, lift the front seat up and to the rear. The front seat is locked in by the rear seat. Once the rear seat is off, the front is not fastened in any way.