I have recently bought an old Suzuki GSX-R1100 having wanted one since I was a child. I love a classic sportsbike, and while the engine is solid and dependable, the bike was owned by someone who had suffered sudden hearing loss and had resultant balance problems. The knock-on from that was he dropped it on the drive, damaging both sides.

In short, to get the bike back on the road, it needed a full service and a new clutch and front brake lever (he had broken off the ends). The shop asked if I wanted to replace both levers with aftermarket anodised blue versions. I thought that would look smart and I duly paid my bill and set forth astride the mighty rocket.

I was genuinely smiling ear to ear for about three miles when I had to brake gently for a van pulling out of a petrol station. And with that, the front brake locked on, despite me letting go of the lever (I need to stress I am not a new rider and own another five bikes having ridden since I was 20 years old). I skidded, lost the front end, and went down like a sack of potatoes. There I remained in pain until the ambulance took me away with a broken foot and ankle. It was shattered and I now may need a fusion of the foot/ankle.

Thankfully, my wife was behind me and caught the whole thing on dashcam. She also got my mate to recover the bike back home, where it has sat for about a month. As for what happened, my mate said he had to take the new front brake lever off to be able to push the bike up a ramp into his van. In short, it appears the aftermarket lever may not have fitted properly and effectively made the front brake stick on. I have raised this with the shop, which said I was talking rubbish, but if that was the case, I would have to sue the manufacturer of the levers, as it would be their fault. Are they correct?

I am in serious problems with work because I am a football coach and may never be able to do that again – and I don’t reach state retirement age for another two decades.

Answer

I am gutted to hear that you and the GSX-R1100 had such a nasty tumble. On the plus side, if you are up for it, they are a solid old bike so I suspect it could be repaired. If I were a betting man, I suspect a broken foot and ankle injury like that is going to seriously affect your career or may result in you having to change it. As such, you need a solicitor used to dealing with serious orthopaedic injuries that have career-changing results to ensure you get the correct compensation – ie, there may be a large future loss of earning claim.

Do not leave this to some unqualified claims monkey that may come ‘free’ with some bolt-on insurance policy. Your solicitor is going to need to instruct an engineer to come and look at the bike and provide a report that hopefully proves what your mate says – ie, a faulty brake lever has caused this.

As for the shop, it is they who are in fact talking rubbish. They charged you for the levers and for fitting them. If the lever is faulty, you can sue the shop as your contract is with them. The shop may then decide to sue the manufacturer, but that’s up to them.

I would also add that I had a rash of these types of cases about 10 years ago, mainly involving Suzuki GSX-R600s. It turned out that the aftermarket lever casting effectively pushed the front brake master cylinder in too far – even when released – causing the brakes to ultimately bind on.

Lastly, download and save your wife’s dashcam footage and ensure your solicitor has that evidence as well.

Andrew Prendergast

RiDE – January 2026

White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors

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