Indian FTR 1200 (2019-2020) Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals
This is the maintenance schedule and service intervals for the Indian FTR 1200 (also just known as the FTR as of 2021), made from 2019-2020.
The FTR 1200 is an upright naked-style sports motorcycle that is named for having drawn inspiration from “flat track” racing-style motorcycles of the past — specifically Indian’s highly successful FTR750.
The FTR 1200 range is based on a 1203 cc liquid-cooled eight-valve V-twin engine that makes 91 kW (123 hp) at 8250 rpm, and peak torque of 120 Nm (89 ft-lb) at 5900 rpm. It puts power down via a chain drive.
The FTR comes in various trim levels. The primary difference between the base and the FTR 1200 S differentiator is the suspension improvement (full adjustability), which you can see visually in the form of gold forks. There’s also and the six-axis IMU with its associated niceties like switchable traction/wheelie/stability control. You’ll also notice the electronic display on the S model when you sit on it.
In 2021, the FTR 1200 range was replaced by the Indian FTR range, with some changed components, e.g. wheels.
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Service Intervals for the Indian FTR 1200
The basic service intervals for the Indian FTR 1200 are every 5000 miles / 8000 km at which you should do a basic check-up. But the oil-change interval is every 10000 miles or 16000 km. That’s the better definition of a minor service interval.
Every two oil changes, do a valve service, inspecting clearances and making adjustments.
There are some other odd intervals as well, e.g. for the air filter, chain, and spark plug replacement.
Indian recommends changing fork oil on many of their motorcycles either every 15000 miles / 24000 km or 2 years.
There are also some long-term recommendations, including to change the coolant every 5 years or 50000 miles / 80000 km.
What you need to service your Indian FTR 1200
Servicing your Indian FTR 1200 may seem intimidating if it’s your first bike (not an uncommon occurrence!) but it’s not hard.
You should regularly change the oil and filter, and check and adjust the belt tension at a minimum.
| Part | Indian FTR 1200 spec |
|---|---|
| Engine Oil | Indian recommends “Indian Motorcycle Synthetic Blend 15W-60” engine oil. This is an oil that meets API SM and ILSAC GF-4, and JASO MA specifications and that’s 15W-60 in weight. |
| Oil filter | Change the oil filter every time you change the oil. An oil filter is included with the oil change kit, or you can separately get a Hiflofiltro part number HF198. |
| Chain lube | Make sure you keep your chain maintained — a Motul chain care kit is a popular option. |
| Coolant | Indian recommends a 50/50 anti-freeze (ethylene glycol) premix. Many fit the bill. Check Revzilla’s coolant selection. |
| Air filter | You need to change the air filter every 10,000 miles (16,000 km). The part number is 7082325. You can also use K&N air filter PL-1219. |
| Spark plugs | Change spark plugs periodically with an NGK MR7F with an 0.030 inch (0.80 mm) gap (you might need a spark plug gapping tool) |
| Battery | Dead battery? Replace it with a Yuasa YTX14H (the OEM battery). |
Maintenance Schedule for the Indian FTR 1200
This is the maintenance schedule for the Indian FTR 1200, reformatted to make it easier to read, with items in a more intuitive order (not just alphabetical… why would “Road Test” be anywhere but at the end, for example).
Many minor errors were also corrected. E.g. the treatment of the sidestand and control levers was a bit erratic, sometimes (with no clear pattern) saying to “Lubricate” and sometimes to “Inspect/Adjust/Lubricate”, when the two are very similar and it’s easier to say to always do the latter.
Record service and maintenance information in the maintenance log in your manual.
Notes:
- The maintenance schedule goes until 50K miles (80K km) as some items only need very infrequent service
- If you subject your motorcycle to “extreme use”, inspect and service it more frequently. This includes: 1. high-speed operation for extended periods, 2. low-speed operation for extended periods, 3. operation in dusty or otherwise adverse conditions, and 4. operation in cold weather (temperatures below freezing).
Maintenance schedule Overview
Here’s a PDF of the maintenance schedule that you can refer to.
We break it down a bit more simply below into
- The “standard” service to be done periodically, and
- Scheduled service that’s done more occasionally (e.g. spark plug changes, valve service)
Indian FTR 1200 — Standard service
Do all these items at every one of the below service intervals.
Most of it is inspecting, adjusting, cleaning, and lubricating — replacing only as necessary (e.g. if something is worn or a time period has elapsed).
| Item | Action |
|---|---|
| Drive Chain | Inspect, Clean, Lubricate |
| Chain Sliders | Inspect, Replace as needed |
| Oil Lines / Oil System | Inspect, Clean, Adjust |
| Fuel System | Inspect, Clean |
| Air Filter | Inspect, Clean |
| Crankcase Ventilation System | Inspect, Tighten, Clean, and Adjust |
| Evaporative Emission Control System | Inspect, Clean |
| Exhaust System | Inspect, Tighten, and Adjust |
| Brake Pads | Inspect, Replace as needed |
| Front Brake Lever | Adjust, Lubricate |
| Rear Brake Pedal | Inspect and Adjust as necessary |
| Gear Shift Pedal | Inspect and Adjust as necessary |
| Clutch Lever | Inspect, Adjust, and Lubricate as necessary |
| Clutch Cable Freeplay | Inspect and Adjust as necessary |
| Control Cable Ends | Inspect, Lubricate if needed |
| Fasteners | Inspect, Tighten |
| Steering Bearings | Inspect |
| Front Forks and Front Axle | Inspect, Adjust |
| Suspension Linkage, Rear | Inspect |
| Swing Arm and Rear Axle | Inspect |
| Rear Shock Absorber | Inspect, Adjust |
| Rear Wheel Alignment | Inspect, Adjust |
| Tires / Wheels | Inspect tread depth, sidewall cracking, wear patterns |
| Sidestand | Inspect, Adjust, Lubricate |
| Battery | Check terminals, clean, test voltage. |
| Brake Fluid | Replace every 2 years (or distance interval below) |
| Front Fork Oil | Replace every 2 years (or distance interval below) |
| Engine coolant | Replace every 5 years (or distance interval below) |
| Road Test | Perform |
Maintenance schedule
Below is the full maintenance schedule for the Indian FTR 1200.
Notes
- Where there’s a time-based and distance-based interval, follow the earlier of the two.
- At the end of the table, keep following it in the pattern shown. Some items are only every 30000 miles / 48000 km, e.g. changing spark plugs.
| mi x 1000 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km x 1000 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 32 | 40 | 48 | Every |
| Perform full inspection (See above list) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Engine oil and filter — replace, inspecting oil for contaminants | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Spark plugs – inspect | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Spark plugs – replace | ✓ | ||||||
| Engine compression – check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Valve lash clearance – check / adjust | ✓ | ||||||
| Air filter – replace | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Drive chain – replace | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Front fork oil | ✓ | ✓ | 2 years | ||||
| Brake fluid – replace (Use DOT 4) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 2 years | |||
| Clutch lever – lubricate | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Control cable ends – lubricate | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Sidestand – lubricate | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Head light – inspect / adjust | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Indian FTR 1200 — Long-term service
Some items are very irregular, e.g. the below. Do these periodically per the schedule or as needed.
| Item | Distance interval | Time interval |
|---|---|---|
| Engine mount fasteners – inspect, re-torque as needed | 50000 mile / 80000 km | – |
| Rear shock absorber – replace | 50000 mile / 80000 km | – |
| Engine coolant – replace (Revzilla coolants) | 50000 mile / 80000 km | 5 years |
Tire sizes and pressures
The Indian FTR 1200 ships with the following tire sizes and recommended pressures.
The standard tire is a Dunlop DT3-R.
| Wheel | Tire size | Tire pressure (cold) |
|---|---|---|
| Front | 120/70R19 60V | 36 psi (248 kPa) |
| Rear | 150/70R18 70H | 40 psi (276 kPa) |
Of course, recommended tire pressures are often to minimise tire wear and associated expense, so find the ideal pressure for your weight and ride style.
From 2021 onward, the Indian FTR (replacing the Indian FTR 1200) ships with 17 inch tyres front and rear, more committing to the “road/sports bike” demo.
About the Indian FTR 1200
The Indian FTR 1200 is a standard road/sport bike from FTR.
Like “Scramblers” of modern times, the FTR 1200 is inspired by flat track racers — but it’s not really an off-road bike. It has some hints that it might be (e.g. large wheels, and a general design aesthetic), but it doesn’t have any off-road protection, and is pretty heavy (for something that might be dropped).
In standard trim, the Indian FTR 1200 is a fairly bare-bones motorcycle. It’s a naked V-twin powered street sports bike, powered by a 1203cc 8-valve DOHC V-twin engine that makes a peak of 90 kW (120 hp) at 7750 rpm, and peak torque of 64 Nm (87 ft-lb) at 6000 rpm.
The FTR 1200 is a huge departure for Indian from what it used to do — air-cooled cruisers and tourers with belt drives. Basically, Indian is another brand that for many years was much like (and competed with) Harley-Davidson, but bikes like the FTR 1200 (and others) show a departure from that.
Even though the FTR 1200 has a V-twin, much like other Indian motorcycles, the FTR 1200 has a liquid-cooled engine. It has all the modern design elements we’re used to seeing in motors, like twin overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. (The Indian Scout‘s engine is another modern liquid-cooled one we’ve seen.)
These design elements mean that it’s easier for the FTR 1200 to make power, as it revs higher. The engine is also quieter (because liquid cooling often helps prevent engine noise), without losing any V-twin character.
The FTR range puts power down via a traditional chain drive (not traditional for Indian, who prefer belt drives).
Like many standard V-twin-powered bikes, the Indian FTR makes most of its power in the middle of the rev range and doesn’t rev too high. In the first few gears there’s a lot of pull, and without an IMU to keep you down on terra firma, it’s easy to lift the front wheel up with torque alone.
The base model FTR gets ABS and cruise control, but the S model and Carbon models get some extra bits.
The Indian FTR 1200 comes in a number of trims:
- Indian FTR 1200 (base model): Non-adjustable suspension, with a 43mm inverted fork. LCD inset speedometer. Has standard ABS and cruise control.
- FTR 1200 S: Fully adjustable front and rear suspension, and a six-axis IMU that gives it cornering ABS/TC. The rear shock has an external reservoir. LED dash, which can be a bit startling on a retro-inspired bike. Two-tone paint designs.
- FTR 1200 Carbon: As the S, plus an Akrapovič exhaust and tune, and some different trim elements.
All trims of the FTR 1200 have twin 320mm discs up front with Brembo M4.32 monoblock calipers — fairly standard on premium-spec sportbikes. They also come with a slipper clutch and sliding mesh transmission, both of which help with smooth shifting up and down.
From 2021, the FTR 1200 and most other members of the line-up have been updated with standard 17-inch wheels and a sportier engine tune, and were just renamed the FTR (and FTR S, etc.) without the “1200” moniker.
Reference — Manual for the Indian FTR 1200
The above maintenance schedule was adapted from the manual for the Indian FTR 1200 (2019).
The FTR 1200’s maintenance schedule is presented in to-do lists at every interval, but it’s hard to get a bird’s eye view, and there are errors in the original manual due to repetition.
You can get the original manual from Indian’s website, here.
