Last fall I had my left foot fixed after 15 years of dealing with a broken big toe and resulting bunion. No riding for 6 weeks. I get 4 rides in (including pitching my bike off a ledge at Downieville) then, last winter I invited a few friends over to do the tour de moonrocks staging at my house. As I'm getting ready that morning I decide that my garage is a wee bit too trashed even for me - so I start cleaning it. I squat down to pick up a box and feel my right knee - the "good" one - go POP. Damn. About that second they all pull up. So I finish gearing up and then lead them on a 70 mile round trip ride, punctuated by me flatting a rear tire.
By the time we got home I couldn't bend - or stand on the - formerly - good knee.
My good wife feeds us all, and they all head home. The next morning I need help getting my no longer bending leg out of bed. I tough it out for 2 days, trying to convince myself that its "just a flesh wound" and all will be well (I am a former Army medic, and have a very lapsed EMT-P license laying around somewhere - I know better, but the power of self delusion is strong). Finally I drag myself to my ortho - who worked on my "bad" left knee twice - and show him my new self-inflicted enjoyment. Sigh - I no longer have an ACL. So under the knife we go. I burn through physical therapy, get knee braces, and go do the Sheetiron in May - 11 weeks after surgery. And put my foot down in a hole - EAST of Ukiah - and feel a "pop".
Dammit.
So I hobble back to Stony, not sitting or bending my right leg any more than necessary (this includes Cow Mnt. - owwwww- about 7 hours and over 100 miles), and I pack up to drive my manual trans truck back to Reno (about 3 hours). Now my buddy threw a rear wheel bearing (or rust collection - truly not pretty, bearings should not look like that) on his XR400 leaving Ukiah - but he and the others had planned to stay in Stony for a few days and ride - so I thought I would be a nice guy and let him use my bike - cause I ain't gonna need it for a while.
No good deed goes unpunished.
Two days later he calls - "hey we are back - how much do you want for your bike?" Me - "Haha - did you like the TXC?" Him - "loved it - how much do you want for it - no really?" Me - ? - "well, I'll let you have it for XXXXX". Him - "nah, its not worth that - its broken?" Me - "!?!?!?!?" Him - "yeah, about 8 hours into Monday morning it started sounding like @#$@#$, so we shut it off and took off the valve cover - looked like a grenade. Intake cam, gear side bearing blew up - crap everywhere, not pretty" Me - but, but, but, but, but, #$!#$!#$#$" Him - "no really, I feel really bad - where do I send it to get fixed, etc., etc., etc." Me - "no, just bring it here - I'll look at it, not your fault, don't feel bad, etc., etc., etc."
Rode it yesterday, finally. Life is good.