IT'S official: you no longer have to be over 40 to own a sports tourer! This bike is a blast. It's a sports bike that covers distance, a touring bike that carves corners.

And for 2005 the ST really does cross the boundaries of sports and tourer. It possesses a truly usable mix of poise, power and all-round practicality.

Triumph have taken two years in developing this beauty and arrived at the winning formula. The holy bike grail is here and it's British!

The Sprint ST has been redesigned from the wheels up.

Every part has been examined, improved and refined. Its 1,050cc, fuel-injected three-cylinder motor has more of everything that makes it so usable - more torque, for effortless drive in any gear and more horsepower for when it's needed (123bhp).

So there is no more Michael Flatley on the gear pegs as the torquey engine pulls from as little as 2,000rpm catapulting you down the road with the biggest bug-catching grin!

It's also the best looking Trumpet to date and has left the Honda VFR jogging behind as, along with the looks, it also has more power, better handling and a cheaper price tag.

Oh, and not to mention much more fun. Ever tried pulling a wheelie on a VFR? Well the Sprint is more than accommodating for such antics but obviously only lets you do so on private land.

So, expect to see hundreds of VFRs for sale this year as Triumph should take the Sports Tourer title for sure.

Right then, back to what makes this bike so wonderful. Further enhancing the engine is a revised six-speed gearbox - with remote gear change linkage - and clutch fitted with an anti-backlash gear.

The character of the three-cylinder layout remains unfettered but the engine has a seamless polish that provides a perfect counterpoint to the lusty power delivery.

The Sprint ST has an engine to revel in, to explore and, most of all, to use to the full. Matching the Sprint ST's sublime engine is a superb chassis. A redesigned beam frame, featuring a shorter wheelbase of 1,454mm, makes for a fabulously composed yet fast-steering motorcycle, with an even greater scope of ability, which makes getting the high pegs scraping the road a blast.

High quality 43mm cartridge-style telescopic forks, adjustable for spring preload, are used for fine control while the rear shock is remotely adjustable for spring preload and rebound damping.

A pair of powerful, four-piston brake callipers mated to 320mm floating discs provide superb stopping power. A two-piston calliper and 255mm disc slow the rear wheel.

The Sprint ST's sleek look is both functional and stunning and everywhere neat touches, like the chrome infill bars and front indicators set in the mirrors, add class.

Styling cues, such as the triple front headlights and triple exit exhausts pictured, LED rear light, complement each other fluidly and the Sprint ST has a cohesive air of a machine that mixes function and form perfectly. New instrumentation includes an LCD trip computer with average mpg and speed functions among others. Fuel capacity is a useful 21 litres.

The Sprint ST remains the shrewd choice of any rider looking for a versatile, all-round motorcycle in 2005. It really is like owning two amazing bikes and riding them both at the same time. Triumph have tailored an almost perfect package. It makes me proud to be British.