Dumb Mistakes and Motorcycles

I had already posted on this thread about filling up my motorcycle with diesel fuel, but I think in the interest of safety for our many new members of the forum, I should be open and honest about an even stupider decision I made once, and it almost cost me my life.

Back in 2000 my Kawasaki Concours was my ride and I loved it. But with that big 7.5 gallon gas tank sitting up so high, and with my shorter stature, the bike was a bit of a challenge to handle when the tank was full and the speed was very slow, such as just starting out from a stop. So one day after filling up with gas I started to pull out of the gas station and over I went. But I thought it not a big deal as there didn't seem to be much damage at all other than some paint scrapes to the bike. But a day or so later when I went to slow down, the front brake seemed to lock up and down again I went, albeit at a slow speed in a parking lot. But I guess I was into wishful thinking and this is where I made my biggest mistake in my many years of riding. I should have had the bike towed or trailered to a mechanic to check out the brakes and determine if I had damaged the front brake in that first fall. But instead I just convinced myself that all was okay and that the second fall was my fault and not the fault of the bike. A few days went by, and when out for a ride on a nearby country road, I went to slow down at about 45 mph coming into a curve and the moment I touched the front brake level the front wheel locked and down I went. This time I was injured with several broken ribs and the bike was totaled. The insurance investigator looking at my bike said there was a small piece of gravel wedged into the brake mechanism, something he said he had never seen happen before. I didn't say anything about my previous concerns and the insurance company paid off on the totaled bike. The broken ribs caused a lung to collapse, infection started and a few days later I was near death. I had to undergo a terrible surgery where my lung was cut open from my back and 5 quarts of infected pus was taken out. After 31 days in Intensive Care I was sent home and it took me over two years before I was well enough to ride again.

My mistake, which I urge you riders to not make, is to not ignore a problem with your bike that could end up causing what seemed like a minor wreck but in reality almost killed me. To this day I wonder if I had just had the bike checked out, and possibly repaired, might I have avoided the consequences I later suffered, and bear the scars to this day of that incident. In fact, during the surgery the surgeon had to remove part of my left lung, so in effect, I have diminished lung capacity and will have this issue for the rest of my days. The doc said that it gives me the same limitation as if I have an early case of COPD, and makes me a "high risk" senior citizen during this Covid-19 pandemic.

Don't make my mistake. Check out problems and don't let yourself be fooled by wishful thinking that all is well.