iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Left the UK on 2nd August on a motorcycle trip to Nordkapp. Went via Harwich, then NL, DE, DK, SE, FIN, N. It took a week of quite hard riding to get there.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

A brief view of a rainbow encouraged me outside... And there are small drops of rain for the first time in weeks...

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Andrea Jenkyns is number 1. At least I think that's what her hand gesture meant.

Andrea Jenkyns as Education Minister tells her voters that she is number 1. Or alternatively gives them the finger.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

If Brexit was such a good idea why is this the result? Don't vote for the party led by the man who damaged the UK economy so extensively today.

Graph showing how FTSE has lagged other indices.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

I think it might be... Colour scheme looks right.

Bike leaning with 'sidewinder' sidecar attached.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Beautiful afternoon. Spent a little of it on an (almost 30 year old) motorcycle, briefly feeling like I was in my early 30s again...

Green Kawasaki sports bike in front of a dry stone wall in the Cotswolds.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

It lives! Four months of parked up, replacement carb jets and a general service (plugs, air filter, fuel filter) and it starts. Just got to do the oil and filter now ...

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

He must travel, saw this in a hotel in Batumi

Picture showing a shower with a cylindrical water heater mounted about 60cm from the shower head with exposed electrical socket and wiring!

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

I found a picture of my moped from a couple of years back when I sold it. It looks a bit neglected, mostly because it was left in a barn for 40 something years. How lucky my generation was to have things like that to ride.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

Not the best image but it's in the Caucuses and some of the views were stunning.

View of the military road in Georgia just north of Tbilisi. A herd of cows lying in the road

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

How long do you plan and what route will you take? If you get the chance to go to Romania (which is only a little north of Bulgaria...) the Transfagarasan is one of the most fun roads I've ridden. Just don't feed the bears.

Bad view of a windy mountain road, the Transfagarasan, in Romania

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

Mosjoen, February 2011. We didn't make it to the Arctic Circle. We did get frostbite.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

It was taken there, I visited last week while passing and spent a few hours there. Some of the early bikes were crazy; using the rear wheel as the crankshaft and no clutch...

1894 Hildebrand and Wolfmüller motorcycle.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Bad picture, but saw this Suzuki RE5 at the Augustusburg motorcycle museum. I remember being very impressed by the technology (Wankel engine and modern design, especially the clocks). Used to regularly look at one parked on my way to school in 1977 or so. Always wanted one... Not so much now!

Mid 70s blue Suzuki RE5 Wankel engined motorcycle .

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Appropriately the Horex VR6 was parked outside the motorcycle museum in Augustusburg (it's a rare motorcycle).

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

And a Nurnberg Triumph. Little did I know that Triumph in Coventry was founded by a German guy that also founded Triumph in Nurnberg and they both moved onto motorcycles...

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Hildebrand and Wolfmuller motorcycle 1894. At Augustusburg Motorrad museum. Don't think I'd be keen to ride this at 30mph...

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Route I've taken on this year's trip. Turn around and head for home today. Get to Calais (different route) on Friday.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Camping trip on the outskirts of Zagreb. Great site.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

In 2019, I went on a trip to Volgograd with a couple of friends. We all had old BMW GSs. Good trip, via eastern Europe and Ukraine (crossed from Ukraine to Russia). I guess I'm not likely to ride a bike in Russia again.

Three motorcycles in the foreground, in Volgograd, The Motherland Calls statue in the background.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

My days of wearing leathers are behind me... Sadly. But they were black, not green. Think that picture was 1994 or so, had just bought this ZXR750 (which was the forerunner to the ZX7r)

Old picture of bloke in leathers on red motorcycle (ZXR750)

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

Back to the late 90s. Just need to fit a quieter exhaust once I collect it; I really don't like offensively loud exhausts.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Could be worse, could be an R1100RT

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 20/10/2024

Hahaha. We had one. She had four pups and we couldn't bear to part with any of them.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 03/10/2024

Interesting. In the UK we probably have until 2035 or so until ICE (big) bikes are withdrawn from sale. I love my little Zero S for close to home use but at the moment I don't believe Europe has the charging infrastructure in place. I think the current bike is probably the last ICE one I get tho.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 16/08/2024

Triumph of optimism and ignorance. I'd been riding bikes for 30 years ish and assumed a sidecar would be 'just the same'. I wanted to go to the Elefantentreffen on an outfit because 'it looked like fun' and thought this would be the outfit. I learnt to ride on this then built a bigger one.

Row of motorcycles at the Elefantentreffen (Solla) in 2011. Sidecar outfit I built in the front.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 16/08/2024

Bunny came first? Sensible policy.

Black rabbit sat on a car seat. Ears at 20 past 9.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 16/08/2024

The journey from Wolverhampton to Bath was very much a baptism of fire. Bike was a real wreck as well, needed a lot of work; there was a reason it was cheap! Picture below (bad picture). The ZXR750 is the bike I wish I still had, the Z500... not so much!

Kawasaki Z500 Outfit with Kawasaki ZXR750 in the background.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 12/07/2024

<2> If you want to do high, sustained, speeds electric doesn't really work. If you want to go touring electric doesn't really work. If you want to do around 100 miles a day (or so) at legal speeds it's fine. Frankly I wouldn't have one as my only bike.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 12/07/2024

And done. They look so peaceful. Screaming, dribble everywhere. Ugh.

Photo of a french bulldog with her four pups.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 11/07/2024

And another one about things in trousers. Trouser snakes.

Headline from article about man caught smuggling 100 snakes in his trousers from Shenzhen to Hong Kong.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 27/05/2024

Taking a break from gardening and thought I'd listen to some music. Every time I put Siouxsie and the Banshees Juju on I'm impressed by it. Great album.

Album cover, Siouxsie and the Banshee's, Juju.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 27/03/2024

Repost with the first album you bought with your own money. I think it's this one

Cover of X-ray Spec Germ Free Adolescents.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 26/03/2024

Stats on this seem to vary greatly. Where does the 58%/11% undecided come from? Here's another view. However, I haven't seen the original data and of course this could be false. Further since it's all based on self-reported voting and often after the event the farmer's responses could be false.

Break down of alleged voting of farmers for brexit

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 22/03/2024

Prefer the original ZXR750H1 in red if I'm honest . Poor picture and it was a long time ago...

Me on my ZXR750H1 motorcycle some time in the 1990s. Bike is long gone, so is the hair. Miss both, the bike the most.

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StephenPacker @stephenpackeruk.bsky.social · 22/03/2024

Can't make out the year etc , I've got a 2012 R1200RT that's really only used for summer touring. Probably the most comfortable bike I've ever ridden.

Large motorcycle in front of a small tent...

Motorcycle outside of garages packed up ready to go on a tour (UK to Moldova via Spain...)

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