# Lost Motorcycle Master Key, Code Card or Key Tag: What Changes

Source: https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/guides/lost-motorcycle-master-key-or-code-card/

Business: The Motorcycle Locksmith, mobile motorcycle locksmith. Phone and text: (619) 775-1858 (San Diego side).

> A master key, code card or master PIN is the item the maker uses to authorize new keys for your bike. Losing it usually does not stop you riding today, because your everyday keys still start the engine. What changes is the future: adding a spare gets harder, and on some makes the owner's manual says parts of the immobilizer must be replaced if the everyday keys are lost as well. Only bikes with an immobilizer or a keyless system have one of these items.

## What each item is, on bikes that have one

Makers use different objects for the same purpose. Some give you a colored key that manages the others, some give you a card or tag, and some give you a PIN. A plain-key bike, which covers many Japanese motorcycles sold in the US, has none of these: its key number tag only records how the key is cut, and our key code guide covers that. Systems changed over the years, so check the keys section of your own manual.

| Bikes | Item | What it does | If it is lost |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Yamaha with the immobilizer, mostly export-market bikes and imports | Red code re-registering key | Registers codes in the two black standard keys | Black keys still start the bike, but the manual says registering a new standard key is impossible |
| Ducati with the red key system, to about 2010 | Red key plus Code Card | The red key is the master and the only key that can add or delete black keys | Black keys still start the bike; adding keys becomes a major job |
| Ducati with two black keys and a card, about 2007 to 2015 | Code Card | Allows keys to be deleted and reprogrammed | Ducati does not sell a replacement card by itself |
| Later Ducatis, keyed and Hands Free | No card; a four-digit PIN the owner stores | Can release the engine start if a key is not recognized | Nothing to lose, but no fallback if you never stored one |
| Larger KTM twins with the orange key | Orange programming key and KEYCODECARD | The orange key activates and deactivates black ignition keys; the card carries the key number | No owner route to activate a new black key or switch off a lost one |
| KTM 390, 690, 790 and 890 models; Husqvarna 401, 701, 801 and Norden 901 | KEYCODECARD | Carries the key number for ordering a spare; these bikes have no immobilizer | A key is made from the lock or an existing key instead |
| Vespa and Piaggio with the immobilizer | Master key, with a red grip on older models and a brown grip on later ones | Needed to store new keys in the scooter's control unit | Everyday keys still work; the manuals warn that later immobilizer repairs are affected |
| Vespa GTS with Piaggio Keyless | A single TAG supplied with the remote | Takes the place of the master key | The manual says the keyless components have to be replaced |
| Honda with HISS: the Valkyrie Rune and bikes from other markets | Key tag with key number and bar code | Taken to the dealer with a key and the bike to register a duplicate | With every key lost as well, the manual says the control unit must be replaced |
| Honda Smart Key models | ID tag and emergency key | The manual says both are needed to register a new Smart Key at the dealer | No simple route to a new fob |
| Yamaha smart key models | Smart key emergency code card | The code that lets you operate the bike without the fob | With the fob lost too, Yamaha says the entire smart key system is replaced |
| Indian with a key fob | Master PIN supplied by the dealer | Sits behind the rider PIN you set yourself | If both PINs are lost, only an Indian dealer can retrieve it |

## Colored keys: red, orange and brown

Yamaha's manuals call the red-bow key the code re-registering key. It exists to register codes in the standard keys, and Yamaha says to store it in a safe place and not use it for riding. US-market Yamahas rarely have this system, so a red key in the set usually means an export-market or imported bike.

On older Ducatis the red key is the master. Chipped keys and a Code Card appear in Ducati manuals from before 2006, and the red key arrangement ran to about 2010. On Hands Free Ducatis such as the Diavel, a red key means something different: it is the passive key, a backup with a transponder for when the battery-powered active key is not working or not available.

KTM's orange key is a programming key for the black ignition keys on the larger twins, and the manual says the ignition is only meant to be switched on with a black key. On Piaggio and Vespa scooters the master key has a red grip in older manuals and a brown grip in later ones, which is why owners call it either the red key or the brown key. Everyday keys are blue or black depending on the model.

## Cards, tags and PINs

Ducati's Code Card is a credit-card-size card supplied with the keys on the older systems, and the manuals say to hand it to the new owner with all the keys when the bike is sold. Later Ducatis have no card. The owner stores a four-digit PIN instead, and Ducati is clear that it only helps if it was set up beforehand.

Honda's Smart Key bikes come with an ID tag carrying an ID number. Honda says to carry the tag separately from the fob and keep a copy of the number somewhere other than the vehicle. Yamaha's smart key models come with one fob and a card printed with the smart key emergency code, and Yamaha says it keeps no record of that code.

KTM and Husqvarna print the key number on the KEYCODECARD and say you need it to order a spare key. On their models without an immobilizer the card is a convenience, not a security item. Indian's keyed Scout and FTR models carry the key number on a metal tag on the key ring, and its fob models rely on the rider PIN and the dealer's master PIN.

**Rather have us handle it?** Call or text with your year, make, model and location. Call or text (619) 775-1858.

## What losing it changes

Specialist equipment can sometimes program new keys to the existing control unit without the master key or card, depending on the make, model and year. Ask about your exact bike before you buy parts.

- Riding today: usually nothing. Everyday keys keep working on every system above.
- Adding a spare: harder. The factory route often needs the master key, card or tag, as our guide to adding a spare chip key explains.
- Losing everything: the expensive case. Yamaha's manual says the entire immobilizer system must be replaced, Honda's says the control unit on a HISS bike, and Suzuki's says the ECM on its immobilizer equipped models.
- Selling the bike: a buyer who knows the system will ask for the master key or card, and Ducati expects them to go to the next owner.

## What to do now

If you have lost the master key or card but still have a working key, get a spare made now. One working key is what keeps the job a routine key programming visit, and it is the cheapest point at which to act. Photograph any key number, code card or tag you do have and store the picture and the original away from the bike, with the title.

If you bought the bike used and never received these items, ask the seller once more, then tell whoever makes your next key. We ask for photo ID and the registration or title before any key work, and it helps to bring every key you have, including broken ones.

## Quick questions

### I lost my Yamaha red key. Can I still ride?

Yes. Yamaha's manual says the vehicle can still be started with the standard keys, but a new standard key cannot be registered without the red one. Contact a dealer or a locksmith who works on Yamaha immobilizers before you lose a black key as well.

### Is the Vespa master key red or brown?

Both exist. Older Piaggio manuals describe a master key with a red grip and later ones a brown grip. Either way it is needed to store new keys, so keep it at home and ride with an everyday key.

### Do BMW motorcycles have a code card?

No. BMW's rider's manuals say extra keys come only through an authorised BMW Motorrad dealer, who must check the legitimacy of the request, so your registration or title is the document that matters.

### Can I ride with the red or orange key every day?

The manuals say not to. Yamaha tells owners to store the red key in a safe place, and KTM says the ignition should only be switched on with a black key. If the master is on your keyring, one loss takes everything.

### My KTM 390 or 790 came with no orange key. Is one missing?

No. KTM's 390, 690, 790 and 890 models use a conventional key with a KEYCODECARD and have no immobilizer, so there is no programming key. The orange key belongs to the larger twins.

## Services that can help

- [Motorcycle Key Duplication and Spare Keys](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/services/motorcycle-key-duplication/): A spare now costs far less than a lost only-key later.
- [Transponder and Immobilizer Key Programming](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/services/motorcycle-key-programming/): Chip keys and fobs programmed to your immobilizer.
- [Lost Motorcycle Key, No Spare](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/services/lost-motorcycle-key/): No key at all? We make a working key at the bike.

## Key details by make

[Yamaha keys](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/makes/yamaha/), [Ducati keys](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/makes/ducati/), [KTM keys](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/makes/ktm/), [Husqvarna keys](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/makes/husqvarna/), [Honda keys](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/makes/honda/), [Vespa and Piaggio keys](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/makes/vespa-piaggio/), [Indian keys](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/makes/indian/), [BMW keys](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/makes/bmw/), [All makes](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/makes/)

## Keep reading

- [Adding a Spare Motorcycle Chip Key: Who Can Program It?](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/guides/adding-a-spare-chip-key-who-can-program-it/): First check that your bike has a chip at all: many Japanese motorcycles sold in the US use a plain key, and a spare for those is simply cut.
- [Motorcycle Immobilizers Explained: HISS, KIPASS and More](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/guides/motorcycle-immobilizer-explained/): A motorcycle immobilizer is an anti-theft system that only lets the engine start when it recognizes a coded chip in the key or a paired fob.
- [How to Find Your Motorcycle Key Code](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/guides/how-to-find-motorcycle-key-code/): A motorcycle key code is a short number or letter-number code that tells a locksmith or dealer how to cut a key for your locks.
- [Bought a Used Motorcycle With No Key? Here's What to Do](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/guides/bought-used-motorcycle-no-key/): A used or auction motorcycle without keys can usually get new ones, but plan on the full all-keys-lost process and bring the signed title or other transfer paperwork plus photo ID, since a locksmith or dealer has to tie you to the VIN.
- [Motorcycle Immobilizer Light Flashing: What It Means by Make](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/guides/motorcycle-immobilizer-light-flashing/): A slow flash with the ignition off is normal on a bike with an immobilizer: Honda HISS, Yamaha and Triumph manuals all describe the light blinking for 24 hours after you switch off to show the system is armed.

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