DIY fixes CBR 600 F4 1999
Just wanted to add some few photos, and tell a short story of my most recent fixes.
As some of you might know, buying parts for a somewhat older motorcycle, is can be a choice between choosing an overpriced OEM part and a suspiciously cheap third party part. Some people understandably recommend buying new OEM, and I certainly do not disagree. However fixing you OEM part yourself can often be just as reliable, and doesn't come with quite the same compromises as buying third-party.
On the first set of pictures you can see how I fixed my fuel reserve light not working. After a quick troubleshoot, it boiled down to being my tank sensor. A new OEM part would cost me over 100$, plus customs. However I just bought a new (and probably more durable) NTC resistor, which cost me around 50 cents. And it has worked like a charm. This is quite the easy fix, that I think most people that can use a wrench and soldering iron would be able to do.
On the second set of pictures you can see how I fixed my fuel pump, which was irregularly cutting out and stalling my bike. I asked a local dealership how much it would cost me to order a new OEM pump from them, and they gave me an insanely ludicrous price. 550$ JUST TO ORDER THE PART.
However, a cheap third party solution, could easily just die after a couple of years. Probably resulting in me stranded God knows where, and might even be a safety hazard, so I decided to just order a new set of electrical contacts. Now, this was slightly more cumbersome, however quite do able.
I see a lot of people on forums just buying new parts, when they fail. And that is quite understandable. However I think maybe more people could consider just fixing the parts they already have. This reduces trash produced in the lifetime of the motorcycle, and I find it at least 2x more rewarding, and last but not least. It could reduce the cost by tenfold.
I understand this is probably a niche interest of mine, but I would like to share my views nonetheless.