BMW Keyless Ride: Lost Fob, Flat Battery and Emergency Key

Quick answerKeyless Ride replaces the ignition lock on many BMW motorcycles with a button and a radio-operated key that only has to be within about 3 feet of the bike. Each bike is delivered with one radio-operated key and one emergency key. If the fob is lost or flat, BMW's manuals say the bike can be started by holding the emergency key at its ring antenna, and a dealer can disable a lost fob.

BMW Keyless Ride quick facts

Keyless Ride bikes are delivered with one radio-operated key and one emergency key.
The radio-operated key has a range of about 3 feet (1 meter) and takes a CR 2032 battery.
If the key stays out of range, the ignition switches off after about 90 seconds.
Keyless Ride was introduced as an option for the 2015 model year on the R 1200 GS and GS Adventure, R 1200 RT and K 1600 GT and GTL.

Which bikes have BMW Keyless Ride?

Years	Models	Notes
From model year 2015	R 1200 GS and GS Adventure, R 1200 RT, K 1600 GT and GTL	Optional equipment, announced in July 2014. Already fitted to the K 1600 GTL Exclusive.
From 2019	R 1250 GS, GS Adventure and RT	Optional equipment, alongside the keyed version.
From 2024	R 1300 GS	The US manual describes only the radio-operated key and a wallet key.
From 2020	R 18 family	Keyless ignition with a hand-operated steering lock and fuel cap.
Varies	S 1000 XR, S 1000 R, F 750 GS, F 850 GS, K 1600 B	Listed as optional equipment in the rider's manuals.
From around 2019	C 400 X and C 400 GT scooters	The C 400 GT manual describes only the radio-operated key and a spare key.

How Keyless Ride works for the owner

You keep the radio-operated key in a pocket and press the button where the ignition lock used to be. A short press switches the ignition on. On most models, pressing and holding the button with the handlebars at full lock sets the steering lock with an audible click. A dash indicator flashes while the bike searches for the key and goes out once the radio-operated key or the emergency key is found.

On most models the ignition, fuel filler cap and anti-theft alarm work with the radio-operated key, while the seat lock, cases and top case are locked and unlocked by hand with the fold-out key blade. The R 18 is the exception: its steering lock and fuel cap are also worked by hand with the key. A key shut in a case or top case can be out of range, and then the bike cannot be started, so BMW advises carrying the fob on your person and keeping the emergency key with you as an alternative.

The two keys that came with the bike

The radio-operated key is the fob. It has a fold-out key blade for the manual locks and a CR 2032 coin battery behind a cover. The second key has had three names in BMW's manuals: emergency key, spare key and wallet key. It has no buttons, but the bike still recognizes it electronically, so it is a real second key and not only a blade for the seat lock.

With only one fob supplied, losing it leaves you riding on the emergency key. That is the moment to get a second fob made.

Lost a key for a bike with BMW Keyless Ride?

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Flat fob battery or lost fob: what the manual says

BMW's manuals handle a lost fob and a flat fob the same way: the emergency key, or the flat fob itself, is held at the bike's ring antenna. Once the key is detected, the Pre-Ride-Check runs and you have 30 seconds to start the engine, or you repeat the step. The antenna location is model-specific, so check your rider's manual.

Model and manual	Where the manual says to hold or place the key
R 1200 GS and R 1250 GS (2019 US manual)	Against the rear wheel cover, level with the antenna, touching the cover
R 1300 GS (2025 US manual) and R 18 (US manual)	Rider's seat off, key inserted into the ring antenna under the seat
F 850 GS (2019 manual)	Seat off, folded key inserted into the ring antenna under the seat
K 1600 GTL (2015 US manual)	On the tank cover, in front of the fuel filler cap
S 1000 XR (2021 US manual)	Against the fuel tank, above the antenna
S 1000 R (2020 manual)	Close to the trim panel behind the rider's seat
C 400 GT (2020 manual)	Against the battery cover at the antenna

Dash messages worth knowing

The R 1300 GS fob has its own battery check. Press its button and the LED shows green for normal, orange for low and red for critical.

Remote key not in range: the bike has lost contact with the fob. Check or replace its battery, or carry on with the spare key. The engine keeps running, but it will not restart later without a key at the bike.
Remote key battery low: the fob will only work for a limited time. Replace the CR 2032.
Keyless Ride failure, do not stop engine: on the R 1300 GS, the Keyless Ride control unit has a communication fault and a restart may not be possible. BMW says to go to a workshop without switching off.
Key symbol with the general warning light: the immobilizer is active because the key is not recognized.

Central locking, where fitted

Central locking is separate optional equipment, mainly on the touring bikes. On the K 1600 it works from the radio-operated key and cannot be locked or unlocked with the key out of range. On the R 1250 RT it locks the cases, the stowage compartment in the left side panel and the top case if fitted. RT bikes with central locking but without Keyless Ride come with a separate remote control.

The R 1300 GS offers central locking for Vario cases and the Vario or aluminum top case. It unlocks when you turn the ignition on and can be set to lock when the ignition goes off. In every case there is a manual fallback: the cases and top case can be opened with the key. On the R 1300 GS, a lock that was locked by hand has to be unlocked by hand as well.

Lost fob, lost everything, and who can help

An authorized dealer can disable a lost fob if you bring all remaining keys, and can enable it again later. New keys come only through an authorized dealer, who must check that the request is legitimate. A 2014 BMW Motorrad USA bulletin shows that dealers register the radio keys and the emergency key to the bike with BMW's workshop system, so a fob bought online does nothing until it has been registered.

If both the fob and the emergency key are gone, the bike cannot be started and the steering may be locked, so the dealer route also means transport. A mobile locksmith works at the bike. What can be done on site depends on the model and year, so say exactly which bike you have and which keys are left, and have photo ID and your registration or title ready.

What to have ready

Have this ready when you call or text

Year, make and model of the bike
Where the bike is parked
Whether you have any working key, a broken key or a key code
Photo ID and registration or title (we verify ownership before making a key)

BMW Keyless Ride FAQ

My BMW Keyless Ride fob battery died. How do I start the bike?

Hold the fob, or the emergency key, at the bike's ring antenna and start the engine within 30 seconds. The antenna is in a different place on each model, as listed in the table on this page.

What battery does a BMW Keyless Ride fob take?

A CR 2032 coin cell, according to BMW's rider's manuals. Press the button to fold out the key blade, push the battery cover up and fit the new battery with the positive side up.

I shut my fob in the top case. What now?

The bike will not start with the key out of range. Without central locking the luggage is opened by hand with a key, which is what a separately carried emergency key is for.

Were any Keyless Ride fobs recalled?

BMW Motorrad USA ran a technical campaign in 2014 for the K 1600 GTL Exclusive because radio keys produced before March 28, 2014 had faulty software and could stop working. Dealers replaced both radio keys. The emergency key was not affected.

Models with BMW Keyless Ride

Key details by make

Services that can help

Motorcycle Key Fob and Keyless Ignition ProblemsMost keyless motorcycle problems come down to a weak fob battery, a fob the bike is not reading, a damaged fob or a lost one.
Motorcycle Immobilizers Explained: HISS, KIPASS and MoreA 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.
Lost Your Only Motorcycle Key? What to Do NextIf you lost the only key to your motorcycle, a new one can almost always be made, but the route depends on whether your bike uses a plain metal key, a chipped transponder key, or a keyless fob.
When to Get a Spare Motorcycle Key, and Why NowGet a spare motorcycle key as soon as you are down to one working key.

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Page last updated November 14, 2026.