Hello gang! I'm 38 and just bought my first bike in my adult life. The last time I rode was at the tender age of 15 on a dirt bike. I bought myself a nice set of training wheels aka Suzuki GZ250 and love it. This is a truly great ride to re-learn the skills on! Low center of gravity and nice and light to throw around. Comfortable too.

Well to get to the point of my post:

The bike did not come with the owner's manuals and I'm left high and dry as far as fluids, pressures and ANY service information is concerned. The bike is a 2000 and been in storage for 3 years, has 5000 miles on it and I plan to keep it a while as a commuter special. It runs well so carbs are not too fouled...Lucky me. I'll run a few gallons of carb/ injector cleaner through it anyway I think....

I'm a bit mechanical and intend on minor service myself. Can anyone hep me by answering the following questions:

What kind of fuel is recommended? 87, 89 and 93 is available here... I'd roll with the 93 but as it is air cooled I'm not sure if this will damage the engine? Is 93 ok, and also, what is the minimum recommended?
10W40 --- Car engine oil ok or is 'motorcycle oil' the only way to go? Why? No 10w40 Mobil 1?
I changed it tonight and put car oil in it, will this be a bad thing? Short term/Long term?
Are Lucas additives a good thing for this type of machine? How about BG Chemicals?
Gearbox - Can I change the fluid? How and with what? Dinsosaur Gear Lube? Synthetics? Redline? Lucas Additives or BG Chemicals again?
What is a good chain lubricant these days? I'm not interested in special order gold plated $3k per ounce stuff, just readily available good stuff?
What is a good tire pressure for this type of bike? 32? 35? 40?
At 5k is it worth the time/effort/cash to rebalance the wheels or leave them alone unitl replacement time? No shakes yet...


FYI- The GZ250 is a light weight cruiser.

Any help from you veteran owners out there is appreciated!

Thanks so much,
Richard

 

I'm in the same situation as Richie. I just bought a 2000 Marauder VZ800, no manual. The bike was sold by the owner's son and he couldn't answer any technical questions. I too plan on doing the routine maintenance. I have a Haynes manual on order, but don't look to it to answer all questions.

Any advice or tech specs would be welcome.