Triumph Air-Cooled Bonneville and Scrambler Key Replacement

Quick answerThe air-cooled Hinckley Bonneville, T100 and Scrambler carry two different keys and neither has a chip. One key works the ignition switch on the headlight bracket and nothing else; a second, separate key works the steering lock. If you have lost the ignition key, a new one is cut and the bike starts, with no programming step.

Triumph Air-Cooled Bonneville and Scrambler key quick facts

Triumph's handbook for these twins says the ignition key operates the ignition switch only, and a different key operates the steering lock.
The ignition switch is on the headlight support bracket, on the left side of the motorcycle.
Two ignition keys are supplied with a key number tag and a spare key blade meant for Triumph's accessory alarm.
Two steering lock keys are supplied as well, with their own key number tag.
The handbook describes no transponder and no immobiliser pairing for replacement keys.

Triumph Air-Cooled Bonneville and Scrambler key types by year

Years	Models	Key type	Chip	Notes
2001-2016	Air-cooled Bonneville, Bonneville SE, T100 and Scrambler, including special editions built on them	cut ignition key plus a separate cut steering lock key	no	Three-position ignition switch: OFF, ON and P (PARK). The key comes out only in OFF or P.
2016-present	Liquid-cooled Bonneville T100 and T120, Street Scrambler and Scrambler 900	transponder key	yes	A different platform with an immobiliser, covered on our liquid-cooled Bonneville page.

Two keys that look alike and are not

Owners who come to these bikes from the newer liquid-cooled twins expect one key for everything. The air-cooled bikes do it the old way. The handbook is blunt about it: the ignition key operates the ignition switch only, and the steering lock key operates the steering lock only. Each pair of keys arrives with its own small number tag.

That matters when you call. A lost ignition key and a lost steering lock key are two separate jobs with two separate cuts. A used Bonneville can easily arrive with ignition keys and no steering lock key at all, if an earlier owner never used the lock and the second key went astray.

Need a key for your Bonneville (air-cooled)?

Call or text with the year and where the bike is parked.

Call (619) 775-1858 Text your year, make and model

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The ignition switch on the headlight bracket

Triumph put the switch on the headlight support bracket on the left, not on the top yoke. It has three positions. OFF kills every circuit. ON runs the bike. P, for PARK, leaves the tail, side and licence plate lights on with the engine off, and the handbook says to use it only when you are leaving the bike briefly somewhere the position lights must stay lit. The key can be withdrawn in OFF or P.

The switch sits low and forward, out in the weather. A key that has gone thin or a switch that feels gritty is worth dealing with before the key bends in the barrel.

The steering lock

The steering lock is its own two-position lock under a small cover. To set it, the handbook has you insert the key, push the whole lock inward while turning anti-clockwise, and swing the bars fully left until it catches. To release it you take the weight off the lock with a slight turn of the bars and turn the key further anti-clockwise until the lock springs out. The key comes out in either position.

If the steering is locked and that key is gone, the bike cannot be wheeled or loaded straight. Tell us before we set out, since we then make the steering lock key first.

Lost keys on an air-cooled twin

With no chip in the key, the job is mechanical from start to finish. We look at your photo ID and the registration or title, then cut the ignition key from the number tag if you still have it, or work from the switch itself if you do not. The steering lock key is made the same way from its own lock. Each key is tried in its lock before we leave.

The spare key blade Triumph packed with these bikes was intended for the accessory alarm fob. If a Triumph alarm was fitted, mention it when you describe the bike.

Where to find the key code

There are two numbers on these bikes: one tag came with the pair of ignition keys and another with the pair of steering lock keys. The handbook asks you to note both and keep the tags with the spare keys away from the motorcycle, and says a dealer can cut a key from the number or copy an original.

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)

Triumph Air-Cooled Bonneville and Scrambler key FAQ

Does my air-cooled Bonneville T100 have a chip key?

No. The handbook for the air-cooled Bonneville, T100 and Scrambler describes a plain ignition key and says nothing about a transponder or pairing. The chip key arrived with the liquid-cooled bikes from 2016.

Why will my Scrambler ignition key not turn the steering lock?

It was never meant to. Triumph supplied a separate key for the steering lock on these twins. If you only have ignition keys, a steering lock key can be made from the lock.

What is the extra blade that came with my Bonneville keys?

It is a spare key blade for use with Triumph's accessory alarm. The handbook says to store it with the spare key and the number tag.

Can you cut a Bonneville key without the number tag?

Yes. The tag makes the cut quicker, but without it the key is made from the ignition switch on the bike once we have seen proof of ownership.

More Triumph models

Services for this bike

Vintage and Classic Motorcycle Keys: Codes, Blanks, WearA key can usually be made for a vintage motorcycle even when no original survives, because these are plain mechanical locks with no chip.
Motorcycle Steering Lock Explained: How It Works and JamsA steering lock, called a fork lock by Harley-Davidson, is a bolt that holds the front end turned to one side so the bike cannot be wheeled away in a straight line.
Worn or Bent Motorcycle Key: Signs, Risks and the Right FixA worn motorcycle key shows up as a key that needs wiggling, works in one lock but not another, or works worse than the spare.
Motorcycle Gas Cap, Seat or Steering Lock Stuck? What to DoStuck gas cap, seat and steering locks on motorcycles usually come down to grime or corrosion in an exposed cylinder, a worn key, a stretched seat cable, or parts under tension that hold the latch closed.

Where we come to you

Sources

Page last updated November 14, 2026.