Lucky you it lasted for 14k.....for me it was around 7k kms.

Last weekend i done DIY (6k km)service of general air filter, oil filter & oil change,chain adjustment/lube.
also head gasket replacement with silicone paste to arrest the oil leakage.
overall took a day work...the level of satisfaction was really great.
after 24-48 hrs of sealant curing time & lube.....ripped the bike lyk hell...had a blast on highway.
No leaks and bike response is so sharp now.....i will change the spark plug & front disc pad next time around 11k kms.
i had changed to shell advance ultra 10w40 this time.....felt bit vibration at 8-9k rpm that wasn't before with ecstar 9000/motul 7100....
anybody experienced with shell ultra ? Need to give few kms say 200km to see how it performs,if not i will come back to motul.
Also the oil cooler fan is made by panasonic that never ran so far....hahaha...heat management is totally an different story.

Brought all required tools....came close to 2k as one time investment but the overall connect & satisfaction with my mamba gone to another level.

Great you can DIY. Lesser mortals have to resort to get things done by SVC people who don't really do a professional job all the time. Did you know the torque specifications of the cylinder head bolts? And the sealant to be used? Because I have seen different sealants being used for different gaskets like Loctite used on one part, Anabond used at another place and so on...

ah...right bro did a research on silicone sealants and suzuki own website has accessories of black sealant (SILICONE BASED LIQUID GASKET(BLACK)
₹ 368.00/-),but i brought loctite SI 587 is an high temp mainly designed to give outstanding performance in typical automotive gasketing applications including valve covers, rocker covers, oil pans, water pumps, end seals, intake manifolds etc. Mostly replacing the gasket would do, but i also wanted to apply the sealant.
I was very careful in applying on the outer edge with continuous bead so the maximum protection and extra stuff would come outer side.

Regarding to cylinder head torque i couldn't get that info elsewhere, so i used my muscle memory on the effort while removing the 6 mm allen bolt and tried to apply the same. Ridden for about 200kms and everything seems to be intact no leakage. I drained the oil for 5-6 hours also had slanted the bike left and right so most the oil in the radiator has come out. while refilling poured till mid marking and idled the engine for 5 mins then it almost took 100ml extra total i filled was 1300ml to maintain below the full marking in the glass window.

Now my next set of things are to do tail tidy,center stand,knuckle guard,front disc pad change and Spark plug.....after a lot of research on spark plug ours is NGK MR8E-9 model which is an nickel alloy economic model comes around 140rs and need to be replaced around 12k kms.
The Iridium plug equivalent to this is CR8EIX , the same MR8E-9 fitment for Yamaha R15 replacement for iridium plug is CR8EIX.
I will either go with this or honda cbr 250 NGK SIMR8A-9 which of same spec with dual Platinum and iridium electrode.
the cost comes around 850rs. The change interval goes beyond 50k miles and more than 100k miles on NGK website specified , but the main thing is it will give cleaner combustion on higher rev range for the prolonged time and also marginal improvements on mileage as well as throttle response and smoothness.
i will change the spark plug and share my observation.

I am yet to do the DOT5.1 brake fluid change...i cant do the bleed myself as DIY.

Great work man!

How much did a set of Michelin Road 5 cost? I have some time to go before a tyre change but already comparing Apollo and Michelin. Apollo would cost about 10k for front and rear, while I had estimated Michelin to be around 20k. And I will try to spend 10k less if it does not lead to incremental gains for my usage which is mostly commute and a once in two months road trip.
I had my first front brake pad change at 14k kms. I think one reason could be that I usually use both the brakes while slowing down for a speed breaker. so both brake pads get to do the work. I usually use only the front brakes if I do not intend to slow down enough for a gear shift.
I use the ECSTAR recommended by Suzuki. Haven't had any problem yet. Maximum distance covered without a break is about 150 kms in 2 hours, so an average speed of 75kmph.

P.S. It would be great to find the Michelins are only marginally better than Apollos for a significant price jump. My wallet would be better off in the future

Hey!,
The set costed me 16,000 Rs. I bought the tyres from Tyre Empire HSR Layout when I was in Bangalore on business. I had taken my car, so I got them along with me on the way back to Hyderabad.
Coming to the point, The Michelins are a lot better than the apollo H1's. I too had the dilemma of buying the H1's over these but later decided to go for Michelin's as they last a lot longer and have excellent grip in dry and wet conditions. A friend of mine who has an Apache RR310 has covered over 20,000 Km's and has just replaced the set.(Apache RR310 come stock with Michelin Road 5).

@ dheeraj4

the oil consumption of 300 ml in 13k odo bit concerning....did you noticed the level of oil before the trip ?
I am using shell advance ultra 10w40 Fully synthetic for 4000km interval and my oil level didnt drop....my odo is now 9500kms.

I heard that 300v are mainly for racing that may evaporate due to thin film....but recommend you to stick with motul 7100, ecstar r9000 or shell adv ultra.
or you can try once semi synthetic ...the oil level should maintain.

Regarding tyres i am too in same dilemma.....but will go over with stock tyres for few more kms.
keep posted the Road 5 performance after the break in and its level of grip.....etc happy munching miles

Siva, kudos for posting this and a great DIY. Shell Advance series are best budget oriented oils and perform exceptionally well especially on liquid cooled bikes. From my experience they perform well on an A/OC engine and very well on LC engines. Nonetheless, nothing much to complain, for the price paid, it's a decent enough oil. Try riding the bike for some time, and you can perhaps feel the smoothness. Mind you, some engine oils make the engine harsh after a fresh new oil change, then they eventually settle to a smoother experience once the kms clock in. A tip though, avoid using red sealant, they make a mess out of an engine pretty easily and they don't last that long, even though they are high temp, and give up over time. Try sourcing high temp RTV black or gray sealant which works well.


Cheers!
VJ

Michelin Update after 2500 Kms!:
So, I've completed 2500 Kms on the Road 5 and the tyres are phenomenal! The cornering grip has improved drastically when compared to stock MRF's. I recently rode my friend's Duke 250 which have my old MRF's, and I could instantly tell that the Road 5 is significantly superior to the stock MRF's.

On another note,
I had recently gone for my 13,000 Km's Service and got the bike back to life. siva23, I talked with the chief technician who has experience with Suzuki Big Bikes segment and he told me to come back after 1000 Km's so he can drain the oil from the bike and check the level. The technician said, If there is drop in oil level, we could figure out what is going bad.
I was also able to procure the service manual for Gixxer SF 250 for a short time and was able to take some pictures. Also got the oil changed to Liquimoly Street Race as I was getting a good deal on it.

Also,
I got my bike detailed after a year, and it still shines as it did on its delivery day!, Here are some photos!

P.S, I wanted to upload the manual(63.8 Mb), But I don't think Xbhp site allows such large files to be uploaded.

Please upload the file to your Google Drive, making sure it's visible and given access to other users and share the link here, it should help.

Cheers!
VJ

Thanks B7ACKTHORN bro , yeah i didnt know before buying the red silicone , actually suzuki accessories also sell the black sealant paste i got to know latter only.
sure lets see how long this last and i have applied very little though. Regarding the shell ultra adv now after 500 kms its very smooth and initial harshness gone away, also it takes around 10-20kms ride to get the oil warm up and its characteristics its good.

Thanks dheeraj4 bro for the update, sure the Michelin never gave up in any of their series....keep enjoying it 😂.
I will plan either to Alpha H1 or PSR after few more kilometers.

Recently I did hogenekkal ride and fell down over a sharp turn , but i was on very high speed couldn't control over engine braking, luckily the knuckle guard took the hit and belly cowl scratches here and there.....felt bit worries over 2-3 days and now fine. One thing on the stock front brake setup is bit strange for me, the initial bite is ok ish and then the subsequent press are very sharp the transition from initial less bite to overly sharp is way intimidating during faster rides and turns but on the highways its ok, may be i will learn the braking over time and yet to change to DOT 5.1 brake fluid.

Yes please do share the service manual eager to see the internals and things ...also keep an eye on the oil level over 500km interval on the glass mark lets see how this goes.

Hey guys!,
So I finally got some time to upload the manual. I couldn't take a lot more pics as the manual was over 300 pages, but I think I've covered some of the most important parts. Have a look!.


Also,
B7ACKTHORN I feel Suzuki launching an ADV 250 is the right move, but if after sales are this bad, I don't see anyone buying an ADV 250.
On another note,
After reading the manual, I can see how incompetent the mechanics at Suzuki are, last time I had gone to a service centre which services Suzuki big bikes along with SF250/250, the mechanic there said the engine takes 1400ml of oil, I knew then and there that these mechanics are really unaware of how to deal/service the SF250.
Changed service centers and this new service centre is reliable and the technicians are actually knowledgeable.

Indeed. Most mechanics have updated from Splendor and CT100 so this is bound to happen. It's not that they are incompetent, the training they receive is inadequate which reflects on how they perform the job on the floor, anyway, that's a topic for another day. Appreciate you taking the time to upload the manual, can you please make sure the Request Access is turned off. I tried downloading and I've sent you a request for the same.

Thanks again!

Cheers!
VJ