L2-L6 Suzuki GSX-R1000 (2012-2016) Maintenance Schedule & Service Intervals

This is the maintenance schedule and service intervals for the Suzuki GSX-R1000 made from 2012 to 2016, known as the L2-L6 models.

The L2 Suzuki GSX-R1000 has the same basic block as the K9 GSX-R1000, but with lighter pistons and revised cams and a higher compression ratio, it makes its power lower in the rev range.

Suzuki also went back to a lighter single exhaust design for 2012. The GSX-R1000 is 4.4 lb (2.1 kG) lighter than its predecessor — a lot of it from the exhaust

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What you need to service the L2-L6 Suzuki GSX-R1000

Below are the parts and consumable items you need to do a service on your Gixxer.

Maintenance item	Suzuki GSX-R1000 (L2-L6) spec
Engine oil	Use a high-grade synthetic that meets JASO MA and API SJ rating or higher, and NOT oils that are marked “energy conserving”. A good and popular high-end option, for example, is Motul 7100 10W-40.
Oil filter	Use a HF138RC, a high-quality replacement. This is the same on all GSX-R1000 motorcycles.
Spark plugs	Standard plugs are NGK CR9EIA-9.
Air filter	The air filter is K&N SU-1009, the same from 2009-2016.
Brake fluid	Use Castrol DOT 4 or a similar high-quality brake fluid.
Coolant	Suzuki recommends Suzuki Super Long-Life Coolant, which you can get from dealers. You can also use Motorex M3.0 Coolant, a high-quality coolant with similar formulation.
Brake pads	EBC FA447HH for the L2+ GSX-R’s Brembo front caliper. Rear: EBC FA436HH.
Chain maintenance	Use Motul chain paste for easy/convenient chain maintenance.

Maintenance schedule for the L2-L6 Suzuki GSX-R1000

Below is the maintenance schedule for the L2-L6 Suzuki GSX-R1000.

The manual contains two schedules. One is for the US, and one is for Europe/Australia/NZ. The latter has much wider maintenance intervals for some reason.

Notes / Legend

• I = Inspect and clean, adjust, replace, or lubricate as necessary.
• R = Replace
• T = tighten
• Judge the maintenance interval by the earlier of the distance or time intervals.
• The break-in service is not included as the time has already passed.

North America Maintenance schedule

The below maintenance schedule is for North America (US / Canada / Mexico).

mi x 1000	4	7.5	11	14.5
km x 1000	6	12	18	24
Months	6	12	18	24	Every
Air cleaner element (SU-1009)	I	I	R	I
Spark plugs (NGK CR9EIA-9)	I	R	I	R
Valve clearance	–	–	–	I
Exhaust control valve	–	I	–	I
Engine oil (Motul 7100 10W-40)	R	R	R	R
Engine oil filter (HF138RC)	–	–	R	–
Fuel hose	I	I	I	I
Throttle valve synchronization	–	I	–	I
Evaporative emission control system (CA only)	–	I	–	I
PAIR (air supply) system	–	I	–	I	4 years: R
Throttle cable play	–	I	–	I
Clutch cable play	I	I	I	I
Radiator hose	I	I	I	I	4 years: R
Engine coolant (Motorex M3.0 Coolant for a super long-life equivalent)					4 years (when using super long-life)
Drive Chain (Motul chain paste)	I	I	I	I	600 mi (1000 km): C/L
Brakes	I	I	I	I
Brake hoses	I	I	I	I	Year: I 4 years: R
Brake fluid (Castrol DOT 4)	I	I	I	I	2 years: R
Tires	I	I	I	I
Steering	–	I	–	I
Front forks	–	I	–	I
Rear suspension	–	I	–	I
Exhaust pipe bolts and muffler bolt and nut	–	T	–	T
Chassis bolts and nuts	T	T	T	T
General lubrication					Every 600 miles (1000 km)

Europe/Oceania maintenance schedule

Below is the maintenance schedule for the L2 GSX-R1000 for Europe/Oceania.

Maintenance intervals are wider in the Europe/Oceania maintenance schedule for the GSX-R1000 — one year or 12000 km / 7500 miles, six months or 6000 km / 3500 miles for North America.

One significant change is that the valve clearance interval has a distance interval only — not time. This is in line with most manuals for most motorcycles.

km x 1000	12	24	36	48
mi x 1000	7.5	15	22.5	30
Months	12	24	36	48	Every
Air cleaner element (SU-1009)	I	I	R	I
Spark plugs (NGK CR9EIA-9)	R	R	R	R
Valve clearance	–	–	–	–	24000 km (15000 mi) (no time interval)
Exhaust control valve	–	I	–	I
Engine oil (Motul 7100 10W-40)	R	R	R	R
Engine oil filter (HF138RC)	–	R	–	R
Fuel hose	I	I	I	I
Throttle valve synchronization	I	I	I	I
Evaporative emission control system (CA only)	–	I	–	I
PAIR (air supply) system	–	I	–	I	4 years: R
Throttle cable play	I	I	I	I
Clutch cable play	I	I	I	I
Radiator hose	I	I	I	I	4 years: R
Engine coolant (Motorex M3.0 Coolant for a super long-life equivalent)	–	–	–	R
Drive Chain (Motul chain paste)	I	I	I	I	1000 km (600 mi): C/L
Brakes	I	I	I	I
Brake hoses	I	I	I	I	Year: I 4 years: R
Brake fluid (Castrol DOT 4 only)	I	I	I	I	2 years: R
Tires	I	I	I	I
Steering	I	I	I	I
Front forks	I	I	I	I
Rear suspension	I	I	I	I
Exhaust pipe bolts and muffler bolt and nut	T	T	T	T
Chassis bolts and nuts	T	T	T	T
General lubrication					Every 600 miles (1000 km)

Tire sizes and pressures for the L2-L6 Suzuki GSX-R1000

The L2 GSX-R1000 ships stock with Bridgestone S20 sport tyres. You can of course fit whatever street, sport, or track tyres you want.

Wheel	Tyre (Tire) size	Tyre (Tire) pressure (cold)
Front	120/70 ZR 17 M/C (58W)	36 psi / 250 kPa / 2.5 bar
Rear	190/50 ZR 17 M/C (73W)	42 psi / 290 kPa / 2.9 bar

About the Suzuki GSX-R1000 (L2-L6)

The Suzuki GSX-R1000 almost needs no introduction. It has been front-and-center for “Gixxer” lovers since the first incarnation, the K1 GSX-R1000 (which was actually 988cc).

Since then, Suzuki has made some significant changes to the GSX-R1000. It has gotten more powerful, more refined, and lighter.

At its core, the GSX-R1000 for 2012 is the same concept of bike it always has been: a track-first fully-faired sportbike in the 1000cc class. It’s powered by a 999cc DOHC inline four-cylinder engine with 4 valves per cylinder.

The 2012 engine takes the engine of the 2009 model and gives it 11% lighter pistons, revised cams, and lighter valve tappets. The change doesn’t add up to more power, but it does make for a flatter torque curve.

Suzuki also lost the twin exhausts of the 2009 model. It’s an improvement both aesthetically and in terms of weight savings, while still remaining street legal. You can reduce weight even further by chopping off that exhaust unit again!

What Suzuki didn’t add in the L2 GSX-R was any kind of electronics. This was kind of shocking at the time (since many other superbikes had ride by wire and ABS as an option) — but if you’re looking for a no-fuss superbike, the GSX-R was still your ticket.

Outside the motor, Suzuki made some important updates. Suzuki updated the brakes to Brembo calipers with 4 x 32mm pistons, still gripping 310 mm calipers (which would be updated in the next generation).

The suspension remained the same — Showa BPF inverted fork and a Showa shock at the rear.

In 2017, Suzuki made some significant changes with the 2017+ Suzuki GSX-R1000. They added rull RbW with the assistance of an IMU for lean angle-sensitive ABS and TC, incorporated VVT into the engine, and improved the braking again.

Manual for the Suzuki GSX-R1000 L2-L6

The above was sourced from the manual for the L2-L6 Suzuki GSX-R1000, from the 2015 model year.

Below are screenshots of both the North America and Europe/Oceania maintenance schedules.

You can find the manuals here.