Indian FTR 1200 S (2019-2020) Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals

This is the maintenance schedule and service intervals for the Indian FTR 1200 S, made from 2019-2020.

The FTR 1200 S 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 S (including the higher-spec Carbon) 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 — this is no standard Indian cruiser!

The S version is higher spec than the base model FTR 1200. The key improvements are fully adjustable front and rear suspension and a six-axis IMU that brings with it switchable traction control, wheelie control, and stability control. The FTR 1200 S also gets a TFT display, replacing the round dial-style display of the base model.

The Indian FTR 1200 R Carbon’s differences are more minor — it has a performance exhaust and some carbon fiber trim elements.

Indian replaced the Indian FTR 1200 S with the Indian FTR S from the 2021 model year.

This post was originally published on August 30, 2021, but has since been considerably updated with more detail.

This site has links for things like oil and spark plugs from which we earn a commission (which unfortunately nobody can save, not even us). If you appreciate this work, then please use those links. Thanks!

Indian FTR 1200 S Service Intervals

The basic service intervals for the Indian FTR 1200 S is 5000 miles / 8000 km. Every service, do a basic check-up — see the full list of inspection items below. 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 the FTR 1200 S (as with many Indian motorcycles) 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 S

Servicing your Indian FTR 1200 S may seem intimidating if it’s your first bike, though it’d be quite an awesome first bike and I can imagine you’d want to take care of it.

You should regularly change the oil and filter, and check and adjust the belt tension at a minimum.

Part	Indian FTR 1200 S 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 50/50 coolant (ethylene glycol) mix. There are many coolants that fit the bill. Check out Revzilla’s coolants page for some options.
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 S

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).

We also corrected many minor errors in the manual. 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.

Note: The schedule doesn’t mention replacing the coolant, but it’s mentioned separately in the manual (every 5 years or 50 K mi / 80K km).

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).

Overview of maintenance for the Indian FTR 1200 S

Below there’s a PDF you can download for maintenance of the Indian FTR 1200 S. It’s equally valid for the R Carbon.

Indian FTR 1200 S — Standard service

This is the standard service inspection checklist for the Indian FTR 1200 S.

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

Indian FTR 1200 S Maintenance schedule

Below is the full maintenance schedule for the Indian FTR 1200 S.

Notes

• Where there’s a time-based and distance-based interval (e.g. brake fluid or fork oil), 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 (Castrol DOT 4)		✓		✓		✓	2 years
Clutch lever – lubricate		✓		✓		✓
Control cable ends – lubricate		✓		✓		✓
Sidestand – lubricate		✓		✓		✓
Head light – inspect / adjust		✓		✓		✓

Indian FTR 1200 S — 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 S ships with the following tire sizes, and the manual recommends the following tire pressures.

Wheel	Tire size	Tire pressure (cold)
Front	120/70R19 60V	36 psi (248 kPa)
Rear	150/70R18 70H	40 psi (276XX kPa)

Of course, recommended tire pressures are often to minimise wear and associated expense, so find the ideal pressure for your weight and ride style.

From 2021 onward, the Indian FTR and S both ship with 17 inch tyres front and rear, more committing to the “road/sports bike” demo.

About the Indian FTR 1200 S

The Indian FTR 1200 S is a standard road/sport bike from Indian. The S model is the up-rated model of the Indian FTR 1200, but the bikes are conceptually the same machine — same engine, chassis, and many components.

Like “Scramblers” of modern times, the FTR 1200 and FTR 1200 S are inspired by flat track racers — but it’s not really an off-road bike, unlike actual flat track racers. 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).

And suffice it to say that the FTR 1200 S is a premium bike (for many people) which many would be loath to drop on a dusty track. Which isn’t to say that you can’t, of course!

The FTR 1200 S is a huge departure for Indian from what it used to do. Indian, like the “other” American cruiser brand, is mostly known for air-cooled cruisers with belt drives. They’re the underdog brand in the US, and have gone through many phases of production and then hiatus.

But since Polaris acquired Indian in 2011, they’ve revitalised the brand and released quite a few new innovative products that have really shaken things up. From liquid-cooled middleweight cruisers to flat track inspired bikes like the FTR 1200s, Indian motorcycles are very different to other American motorcycles. Fans of the brand, think of them as somewhat of a “secret”.

Nonetheless, the FTR 1200 S is quite a different bike even for Indian. This is a performance standard bike! Even though it has an upright riding position, its liquid-cooled engine, considerable power (90 kW / 120 hp), and high-level riding components mean that this is every bit a street sport bike — competing with sport standards, like the KTM 1290 Super Duke R, for example.

The Indian FTR 1200 S has a liquid-cooled fuel-injected 60-degree V-twin 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.) And the FTR range puts power down via a traditional chain drive (not traditional for Indian).

The 1200 S has the same core power specs as the base model 1200. The 1203cc engine makes a peak of 90 kW (120 hp) at 8250 rpm, with peak torque of 118 Nm (87 ft-lb) at 6000 rpm. With full wet weight of 235 kg (518 lb) it’s no lightweight sport bike, but the upright riding position and fat torque curve makes for a raucous ride.

The Indian FTR 1200 S has the following enhancements over the base model.

Part	FTR 1200 (base)	FTR 1200 S
Front suspension	Sachs, non-adjustable cartridge	Sachs, fully adjustable cartridge
Rear suspension	Sachs, preload and rebound damping adjustable	Sachs, fully adjustable, external reservoir
Rider aids	ABS (non-switchable).	6-axis IMU — cornering ABS and TFT. ABS is switchable.
Instrument cluster	Analogue dial / LCD inset	TFT
Design features	Black only	Two-tone paint

Both the base and S models have Brembo M4.32 calipers on the front twin 320mm discs, almost standard features on high-end standard bikes.

From 2021, the Indian replaced the FTR 1200 line with simply the FTR line (the FTR 1200 S became the FTR S). They also changed the wheels to 17-inch wheels and gave the engine a sportier tune.

Manual for the Indian FTR 1200 S

The above maintenance schedule was adapted from the manual for the Indian FTR 1200 S (2019-2020).

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.