Has anyone heard from Jim Comstock recently?

gggGary

gggGary

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I'm not mad but a bit worried?
Sent Jim my 850 head, back in February for extensive work. He said "it will take a while, I'm backed up with work" I'm OK with that but half a year on I'd like to know if it is in the queue.... or not going to happen? At the least if it isn't going to happen, getting my head back (yeah, yeah) would be nice.
Been trying to get ahold of him for a progress report (if any)
So far I've tried; email, forum PM, shop phone left messages several times, home (cell?) phone.
zero response.
He hasn't been on here for a couple months?
So, anyone know anything?
Inquiring minds.
 
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Jim took over 12 months on my last job. Wasn't a problem, just took a while. He's probably got a mountain of work...
 
I don't a have a problem with the extended time frame, really.
But also think it's smart business and reassuring to reply to inquiries, let a guy know it's still in proccess, y'know after 6-8 months or so...
If there's health problems and inability to do a project, I get that too....
 
He has not been on here since late July so PM won't help. I suspect that he's so far behind that he gets lots of emails asking when things will be done and now, he's way behind on email as well. Fortunately. the two little jobs I sent him six months ago I won't need for at least another year.
 
He is not the only one with a long wait time. There are fellows on this side of the pond with the same story. You sort of know this going in and you simply have to wait. Problem is that there are fewer and fewer real toolroom types and they are getting to be more expensive because they are facing greater overheads just as we are. Hats off to them for not closing their shops to our old bikes and just taking on other jobs.
 
I am not going to knock Jim as he does some great work but it gets to a point that if you got too much work to handle then comes a time he needs to say no more jobs till I catch up with the jobs I have, waiting for a job for 12 months is not good and then there is a time he will just need a break or retire from his work.
There is more to life than working when you get up there in age, anyway I am glad there are people with lots of patience to wait so long for a job to get done, but life does get in the way of work sometimes, but there is also a lot of talent people out there who do know what they are doing, you just got to find them and they might not be that far from you.
 
Onder said:
He is not the only one with a long wait time. There are fellows on this side of the pond with the same story. You sort of know this going in and you simply have to wait. Problem is that there are fewer and fewer real toolroom types and they are getting to be more expensive because they are facing greater overheads just as we are. Hats off to them for not closing their shops to our old bikes and just taking on other jobs.
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Lots of things get in the way of getting things done when you plan, especially as you get older. End of Nov 21 a guy brought me a basket case to build who hoped to be able to ride it in Summer 22: https://www.gregmarsh.com/MC/Norton/CustomerBasketCaseBuild.aspx. In early July 21 I found the basis of a Combat another customer wanted built who also hoped for Summer 22 and he also wanted a 69S. I found that in Dec 21 - beautiful, just needs service bike. The first guy's Combat had LOTs more issues than expected but I was able to deliver Jul 15th. I finished the seconds guys Combat Jul 10th and started on his 69S: https://www.gregmarsh.com/MC/Norton/CustomerCombatBuild.aspx That "just needs servicing" bike has been a major PITA and is still not done.

I said things get in the way especially when you get older. Well, dying while standing in line in the ER really got in my way. It's really weird to know it's over and then to be revived. Fortunately, my heart didn't stop but my breathing did. Now I have a lot of trouble breathing and use O2 quite a bit. Then last week I took a fall - the kind where you hit everything on the way down and do damage. LOTs of missing skin - more than I could handle on my own.

Of course, those three bikes are not the only ones, I finished and sold a Trident and fixed several others. Then there was the guy who wanted a Roadster with a drum front brake. He bought one and sent it to me to checkout. Actually, it was a 69S that was being converted to a Roadster and although it ran and rode OK, it has LOTS of problems. After a lot of mind changing, he decided to buy a different bike so I gave him what it was worth (he took a big hit) and it's now waiting to see if I'll live long enough to ever get to it.

My new rule is: If you need to know when something will be done, you have to find someone else. It embarrasses me too much to be late! These old bikes simply have too many surprises. Like wrong crankshafts, pistons in backwards, rear wheels with only two of the three bearings installed, fork dampers not installed, new fork springs - one 2" shorter than the other, exhaust hitting the side panel, brand new harness caught fire, oil check valve installed backwards and leaking like a sieve, bent frame, "ported head" where the gorilla hit a value seat and ground a spot too big to lap or even cut out of it, and so on.
 
marshg246 said:
Lots of things get in the way of getting things done when you plan, especially as you get older. End of Nov 21 a guy brought me a basket case to build who hoped to be able to ride it in Summer 22: https://www.gregmarsh.com/MC/Norton/CustomerBasketCaseBuild.aspx. In early July 21 I found the basis of a Combat another customer wanted built who also hoped for Summer 22 and he also wanted a 69S. I found that in Dec 21 - beautiful, just needs service bike. The first guy's Combat had LOTs more issues than expected but I was able to deliver Jul 15th. I finished the seconds guys Combat Jul 10th and started on his 69S: https://www.gregmarsh.com/MC/Norton/CustomerCombatBuild.aspx That "just needs servicing" bike has been a major PITA and is still not done.

I said things get in the way especially when you get older. Well, dying while standing in line in the ER really got in my way. It's really weird to know it's over and then to be revived. Fortunately, my heart didn't stop but my breathing did. Now I have a lot of trouble breathing and use O2 quite a bit. Then last week I took a fall - the kind where you hit everything on the way down and do damage. LOTs of missing skin - more than I could handle on my own.

Of course, those three bikes are not the only ones, I finished and sold a Trident and fixed several others. Then there was the guy who wanted a Roadster with a drum front brake. He bought one and sent it to me to checkout. Actually, it was a 69S that was being converted to a Roadster and although it ran and rode OK, it has LOTS of problems. After a lot of mind changing, he decided to buy a different bike so I gave him what it was worth (he took a big hit) and it's now waiting to see if I'll live long enough to ever get to it.

My new rule is: If you need to know when something will be done, you have to find someone else. It embarrasses me too much to be late! These old bikes simply have too many surprises. Like wrong crankshafts, pistons in backwards, rear wheels with only two of the three bearings installed, fork dampers not installed, new fork springs - one 2" shorter than the other, exhaust hitting the side panel, brand new harness caught fire, oil check valve installed backwards and leaking like a sieve, bent frame, "ported head" where the gorilla hit a value seat and ground a spot too big to lap or even cut out of it, and so on.
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I'm with you on this one, Greg. Been noticing that I'm no longer as nimble as once was. I'm a little less steady on my feet every year. Not really bad yet, but getting there. I feel fine on a bike when moving at speed, but less so maneuvering in the parking lot. I just dropped my brand new Aprilia coming to a stop in a restaurant parking lot. Pretty embarrassing. At least the air vest inflated, so I know it works.:D And it really made me glad that I'd fitted the crash sliders right after purchase.

All we can do is just keep on keeping on.

Ken
 
lcrken said:
I'm with you on this one, Greg. Been noticing that I'm no longer as nimble as once was. I'm a little less steady on my feet every year. Not really bad yet, but getting there. I feel fine on a bike when moving at speed, but less so maneuvering in the parking lot. I just dropped my brand new Aprilia coming to a stop in a restaurant parking lot. Pretty embarrassing. At least the air vest inflated, so I know it works.:D And it really made me glad that I'd fitted the crash sliders right after purchase.

All we can do is just keep on keeping on.

Ken
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You could post a funny video watching me start and get on a Norton. Once I'm going I feel right at home. Stopping for gas could be yet another funny video.
 
marshg246 said:
Lots of things get in the way of getting things done when you plan, especially as you get older. End of Nov 21 a guy brought me a basket case to build who hoped to be able to ride it in Summer 22: https://www.gregmarsh.com/MC/Norton/CustomerBasketCaseBuild.aspx. In early July 21 I found the basis of a Combat another customer wanted built who also hoped for Summer 22 and he also wanted a 69S. I found that in Dec 21 - beautiful, just needs service bike. The first guy's Combat had LOTs more issues than expected but I was able to deliver Jul 15th. I finished the seconds guys Combat Jul 10th and started on his 69S: https://www.gregmarsh.com/MC/Norton/CustomerCombatBuild.aspx That "just needs servicing" bike has been a major PITA and is still not done.

I said things get in the way especially when you get older. Well, dying while standing in line in the ER really got in my way. It's really weird to know it's over and then to be revived. Fortunately, my heart didn't stop but my breathing did. Now I have a lot of trouble breathing and use O2 quite a bit. Then last week I took a fall - the kind where you hit everything on the way down and do damage. LOTs of missing skin - more than I could handle on my own.

Of course, those three bikes are not the only ones, I finished and sold a Trident and fixed several others. Then there was the guy who wanted a Roadster with a drum front brake. He bought one and sent it to me to checkout. Actually, it was a 69S that was being converted to a Roadster and although it ran and rode OK, it has LOTS of problems. After a lot of mind changing, he decided to buy a different bike so I gave him what it was worth (he took a big hit) and it's now waiting to see if I'll live long enough to ever get to it.

My new rule is: If you need to know when something will be done, you have to find someone else. It embarrasses me too much to be late! These old bikes simply have too many surprises. Like wrong crankshafts, pistons in backwards, rear wheels with only two of the three bearings installed, fork dampers not installed, new fork springs - one 2" shorter than the other, exhaust hitting the side panel, brand new harness caught fire, oil check valve installed backwards and leaking like a sieve, bent frame, "ported head" where the gorilla hit a value seat and ground a spot too big to lap or even cut out of it, and so on.
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Part of this sounds quite familiar. One of our club members has an ES2, had it for 50 years and then decided to get it 'restored'. Looked like a tidy job done until one looked closer, the obvious clues were the oil leaks. Every nut and bolt was loose, electrically dead though he had been riding it about as it has a magneto (chain slack and mounting bolts loose). In the engine someone had battered the gudgeon pin out some time in the past and had burred the pin to the extent it had to be pulled out with a pin puller. The little end bush fell out of the conrod and was slack on the pin as well. The exhaust valve lifter shaft locating pin missing, sump plug missing, hole filled with epoxy. No oil in the forks (they were bone dry, never seen any oil since they were put together) , headstock loose, speedo gearbox revolving on axle, etc etc......
The full (so far) snag list was a couple of A4 sheets long.
When he asked 'when will it be done?' my answer was 'as long as it takes'
 
Perfect example - when I wrote my post at 7:54pm I had no idea I would go to the ER at 2:30am this morning! I wasn't even thinking ER when I wrote my 11:37pm post even though my leg was bothering me. My messed-up leg got way worse very quickly. It's back to OK now but no standing working on bikes for a few days.
 
marshg246 said:
Perfect example - when I wrote my post at 7:54pm I had no idea I would go to the ER at 2:30am this morning! I wasn't even thinking ER when I wrote my 11:37pm post even though my leg was bothering me. My messed-up leg got way worse very quickly. It's back to OK now but no standing working on bikes for a few days.
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Take it easy Greg. You can’t rush recovery…
 
The reason I'm building a standard compression 850, is the 750 I got (built?) has compression high enough that my 175lb and old leg are doing all they can to get one cylinder through.
Has anyone heard from Jim Comstock recently?

This lets me get by, it's an easy one kick, other foot on the ground starter.
 
BTW, the June 2020 thread on this topic ran up to September 2021!

We all care how Jim is and how he is progressing work or whatever.

But we aren't likely to get an answer here unless maybe someone who is in contact with him, like Matt or Kenny chime in.

Those of you waiting for work, I feel for you.
 
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I had some email contact with Jim in early September about doing my heads with 1.5mm oversized intake valves with some mild ort work. Jim assured me that he could get my heads done "in a timely manner". (by spring of 2023) I pulled the head last night and was originally planning on sending it to Jim. Now I am going to explore other options closer to me.
 
Everyone that is talented is busy! Problem is the younger generation is not picking it up(a few are). When this talent is gone it's gone. I don't think these guys are about the money, some money, it's about personal satisfaction. Our generation are all to hard headed to call it quits
 
crickets,
I get; not wanting to get into chat fests, but business 101 a guy that's got time to talk to people about NEW work has time to give those in the Que updates.
 
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