Very bad experience.

Last April the wife and I spent two weeks riding in Utah and around the Phoenix area. Something went haywire with my RMX right off the get-go but I ignored it as the bike was still running well enough to ride with my wife. The last day in Little Sahara the thing siezed and when I tore it down I found that a retaining clip that holds the p-valves in had broken. Continuing to ride it virtually destroyed all six pieces of the two valves, and hammered the valve chambers to death. And it was heat seized. I was bummed out as I was looking at at around $700 for a new cylinder, valve parts, topend etc...

Then I called Eric Gorr. He said he'd get me in a bored out, re-nikked, RM cylinder with RM valves (which were supposed to be simpler and cheaper) for a little less money. I was psyched!! Sent him my entire top end around the beginning of May.

On july 21st UPS took my $385 COD check and left me a box of crap. A decent used cylinder with my destroyed powervalves improperly installed, a brand new head (mine was fine but I had to buy a new one since the original wouldn't work with the RM), and a top end kit.
The frame-mount brackets wouldn't work with the new head, I couldn't route the radiator hose around the RMX tank, the studs on the cylinder weren't long enough to bolt the head on, and the powervalves were sticking. Took the valves out to find that a spring was installed wrong and the valves hadn't been touched. I could still smell the kerosene that I'd cleaned em with. One of the valve guides was hammered so thin that I broke it with my thumbnail.
If the parts had fit I would've had broken valve parts in my new top end instantly.
And to top it off he didn't send my my old parts back!!! I sent him his box of junk back, ordered all my valve and cylinder stuff which will be here Monday, and now I have to wait for my head to come back from him.
I'm out three months of my my 7-8 month riding season, $30 in shipping costs and $20 for a cancelled check.
And not so much as a freakin' apology from Eric. All he said was "send the stuff back if you want" and some rambling about "what my guy said".
I've never been f***ed like this in my life.
And I burned his damn book.

An off day??!! He had the stuff for nearly three months!!

And here's a bit more to the story. My neighbor's one of my riding buddies and he's also my postman. My new cylinder and valve parts are in his truck and I'll have 'em mid-morning. If I had a cylinder head I could go for a ride tommorow before the woods get shut down due to fire danger. Why didn't he send my old parts back??!!

And I left out the utter embarassment I feal about bragging to everyone about my new Eric Gorr built, 265 cc, ported, polished rocket-bike I was gonna have. And that IS what we talked about. I also printed out his service order form and filled it out to the T, including the mo power everywhere porting and all the info I could think of that would help them. I called him once about a week after I shipped to make sure he got the parts and see what he thought. He had the parts but hadn't looked at em. I called again about three weeks later and he said he had a cylinder but needed a different head. Then I called on the 15th of July and he said the parts had just shipped. I was really uneasy when he mentioned "we just wire-brushed the power valves and they looked fine". The "looked fine" part I know is a matter of opinion but the valves were TOAST!! The "wire brushed" part was a lie.
The middle valve part has a hole tapped in it for a tiny little 2mm screw. This screw goes through the valve plate and has a nut on the other side that keeps the plate centered. The hole in one of the plates was beat to about 3/4 of an inch long!! Both of the main valves had rattled in the chambers so much that they were mushroomed and wouldn't slide anymore and both the valve guides are completely trashed. It was one of these that I broke with my thumbnail. Also you couldn't get the valves securely installed because of the damage done where the keepers hold em in.

My point is that the valves were junk. I knew they were junk and Eric knew that I was worried about em. I mentioned them everytime I called him and I wrote something on the order form about "the valves are toast but I sent them anyway in case you might be able to use a couple parts".

My first phone call after receiving the parts I complained about the mounting bracket, the short studs and the valves not closing properly. Eric said "just buy (order) some YZ125 studs and put a little penetrating oil on the valves".
I was on my own trying to get the head/frame mounting brackets built.
Fortunately I didn't listen to his "penetrating oil" advice and tore the valve assembly out. Oh, and there's a tentioning adjuster spring on the side of the cylynder that was installed wrong, which pushed the valve rod over about a 1/16 and made the rod jam.

And Forward Motion can't honor they're work because they didn't do any work-other than spending a couple minutes sleazing my old valve parts into the new/used cylinder. How could a mechanic not notice that when they sat the head on the cylinder there were only about two threads worth of stud to get a nut on??

Damn I'm getting pissed again!!

mdmader-
I contacted Eric and we worked it out. I explained this above. I sent him the parts back and he's sending my stuff back. I hope.

I wasn't after a "port" and I don't think I could have handled the situation any better. I've heard NOTHING but incredible reviews about Eric's work and I know he's very busy. I was calm and simply said I was disappointed.

When he told me a couple weeks ago that my parts had shipped I said "Excellent!-And everythings all ready and I can just bolt it up?" Eric answered "Yes".

I certainly can't think of any "median" in this situation other than starting all over again and I don't have the time. I'm not rich but I've got more money than time and I just want the thing fixed. Now i'm sitting on nearly $800 worth of new parts that I can't use because I still don't have a head or cylinder studs.

And in Eric's defense I'd bet a weeks salary that he never looked at my stuff. There's no way in hell that one of the best engine builders on the planet would have sent me that box o' junk. He charged me $25 for "Exhaust valve mod and service"!! $25 to improperly install some wrecked valves. He did replace the broken $3 keeper though.

I just want to ride. Today.

jboomer-
Thank you.
I don't think the current arrangement is exactly fair either. I'd love to get my 2-3 months back as well as some $'s for shipping but oh well. Maybe pain and suffering?

One point that I don't think I've stressed enough is he should have sent my original head and cylinder back with the new parts. Granted the cylinder was pretty much junk but the head was mine and in perfect condition. Makes no sense at all. He charged me 135 bucks for a head (and a new valve linkage cover as my old one wouldn't fit on the RM cylinder) that wouldn't bolt to my frame or bolt to the cylinder w/out dicking around with studs and he get's a free RMX head?? Bullsh*t.

The wife just got her brakes done in her Astro and guess what they gave her when they were done. HER OLD PARTS!!!

Just realized something else. I payed 20 dollars for shipping and insurance when I shipped my original parts, Eric charged me 15 dollars to ship the new stuff and I spent 15 dollars last week to ship em back.

I'm out 50 dollars in shipping!!! Aaaahhhgggg!!!