Ducati Motorcycle Keys – Is the Red Key Important?
One of the leading Italian motorcycle manufacturers, Ducati was acquired by the Texas Pacific Group of Fort Worth, Texas in 1996 and since then there has been an improvement in technology, efficiency and lean production. Buying a Ducati motorcycle is one of the best purchases you can make. They are a reliable and quality means of transport that restores your freedom.
When you buy one of the Ducati motorcycles, you want to be able to operate your bike the way you want. There are three separate keys that you must obtain with your bike. One key, the red key, is the one you will need if you are going to make adjustments to your bike for any reason. If you don’t plan on changing or adjusting anything on your bike, black keys will be all you need.
If you are going to buy your bike new or used, you must make sure you have a red key; however, if a red key is not available, do not assume the bicycle was stolen. There are many things that get in the way of keeping up with the key. Sometimes it gets lost. Unfortunately, the OEM Ducati key cannot be reproduced once it is lost, stolen or destroyed. To use the red key again, you will need to purchase a completely new electronic system.
When buying your bike from a private seller, make sure the seller has three keys to give you: two black keys and one red. The red key, or code key, will be the only way you can reprogram a replacement to operate the immobilizer circuit, which is electronic. If you have lost the red key or it needs to be replaced for any reason, you will end up paying almost $ 3,000. This may be too much to spend on something that you had nothing to do with at first.
You don’t need the red key unless you need to reprogram some of the bike’s electronics. If this is the case, you will need your red key. However, if you don’t have it, you can always buy new electronic devices, including a new ignition and ECU, which will provide you with a new set of keys. Chicago locksmiths have highly sophisticated equipment that can read the code on black keys to make duplicate and reprogrammed immobilizer keys.
A Chicago locksmith can reproduce a new Ducati key and can read the code. The original red key is the only key that can do everything for the bike. The black key may be easier to access. If you have a black key, you will need to have a blank Silca KW17T5 transponder key so the locksmith can clone the key using Ilco / Silca – RW2 or RW3, Jet-Smart Clone, Strattec – Quick Code or Bianchi – Response Code. Most good locksmiths in Chicago can help you replicate or cut a Ducati motorcycle replacement key.
If the Ducati motorcycle key breaks inside the ignition, you will need to remove the key; otherwise your bike will remain locked. Take it to an experienced locksmith as only two small tools are needed. They usually extract broken keys using high-end tools. A small probe tool is used that will hold the part of the key that locks it, and usually the locksmith uses a high-end puller that will pull the key out.
Contact your Chicago locksmith if you want to replace the keys or you may need to purchase a complete electronic system to have a red key. It is cheaper and faster for a locksmith to do the work than for the company to replace the electronic equipment.
