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Well, the 3rd Annual NOCC has come and gone already. The first guest to arrive was the famous Brad Bowen, pulling in at 4 am after an 11 hour journey (including rest stops). He crashed out in the "Guest House" (our travel trailer) for some much-needed sleep until Milton Mike pulled in around 8 am on his custom blue 750 Seca with gold rims. Very distinctive.

Separated at birth, long lost identical twins Jeremy and Hank were reunited by their genetic love of XJ's.

Ok, seriously, there's no biological connection that we know of but the resemblance is scary isn't it?

After a fair bit of socializing, renewing old acquaintances and meeting new friends, we finally got down to the primary function: setting up the carbs. Here we see Cliff making some small adjustments to his bike while the supervisory staff keep a close eye on things. Kind of like a city works crew -- 1 guy working and 5 guys standing around the hole watching.

Here's a pair of before-and-after pics from one bike. On the left, #1 cylinder is clearly doing most of the work while #4 is just going along for the ride. After tuning, all 4 are dead even, meaning all 4 cylinders are working equally.

A similar set of before-and-after shots, this time featuring the Morgan Carbtune II. The device is the most compact and shock resistant unit available. No mercury to spill or suck into the engine and competitively priced compared to mercury carb sticks or gauge sets. If I buy another such tool, this will be the one.

While waiting for a turn at the tools, guests could check out each other's bikes, like Cliff's all-original 650 Seca (forground) or Jeremy's 750 Seca complete with full factory touring package -- fairing, lowers, panniers and trunk with backrest (background)

Door prizes were awarded again this year. Names were drawn from a helmet to determine the order, and then the guests got to pick their choice from the selection. From top to bottom, prizes included an insulated bag sized to hold two bottles of, um, water -- yeah, that's it, water -- on your next ride. Donated by Kevin Rex.
Fork holding tools modified from the original Mark Yerkes design by Ross Presta.
Ross's alternator removal tool set, including rotor holding block, threaded shaft insert and puller bolt.

Not shown, but also donated by Ross, were a few ATO fuse boxes, already populated with the appropriate size fuses.

After all the carb work, it was time for a ride. Our route mirrored the 1st NOCC route, for much the same reasons. Many guests had to head for home and that route got them a good start down the road before they had to peel off for home.

The rest of us went racing. Literally. We were waved onto the course by the cops manning the barricades and I'm happy to report we merrily passed hundreds of competitors until other cops further down the course kicked us off. Did I mention it was the bicycle race component of a triathlon? It was just as well the other cops pulled us out of there before
we got to the swimming bit anyway... Kind of cool though. I felt like one of those guys piloting the TV camera bikes in Europe

After supper, Hank revealed that neither he nor the previous owner had ever checked the valve clearances on his 650 Maxim. It was quickly decided for him that it was now high time they were checked, so off to the garage we went...

Actually, Brad and Hank had to keep kicking your author out of the way so they could play too. I do have a nasty tendency to dive right in and do it rather than letting people try for themselves.

While we were tinkering, there were the familiar weekend sounds of the north: mosquitoes buzzing, loons calling, motorboats puttering by and the neighbour's kid riding home on his dirt bike. Brad noticed it first: the unmistakable sound of an approaching XJ. My first reaction was yeah so, probably one of my kids coming home but a quick check revealed all bikes present and accounted for...

Low and behold it was Mike and Zeeta on their 700 Maxim! Their perseverance paid off and they made it up after all. True, they were a little late for the group ride but it was great to see them again. Especially for Kathy and Stacey -- Zeeta was the only lady this year.

Oh, one last note, not really related to the carb clinic:

There has been some debate as to whether "deer whistles" actually work. Hank has two of them mounted to his bike. He saw, and photographed, a single moose on his way to the clinic. After he got home he e-mailed this pic of his homeward encounter.

They may or may not be effective against deer, but they sure don't seem to bother moose.