Well, I know I said that the Speed Triple went back to Triumph a few months back. But in fact, I've kept a hold of it. Initially I was thinking about buying it, then the PR man left...and in the interim, I've just been riding the 1050 Speed Triple most days, and really enjoying it. My B-King is still in the supercharger shop, so the Triple has been my daily transport for much of the winter now.

But it's summer now, it seems, and so I gave old faithful a run out down to a trackday at Brands Hatch. I was mostly there to ride the new 600s - of which more to come soon - but I managed to snatch a session on the Triple, for old time's sake.

If I'm honest, the Triumph hadn't been immaculately prepared for track work. In fact, it was still wearing the Avon Storm ST sport-touring tyres I fitted for winter commuting about 1,500 miles ago. My nitrous kit was still in place, but I'd disconnected it for the winter, and hadn't had a chance to get it working again.

So it was a cautious Al who trundled down Brands' pitlane, having just passed the noise test with the fruity Zard slip-on can. But I needn't have worried. The Avons had worn pretty flat on the back, so the steering was rather heavy. But once we'd warmed 'er up, and got some heat into the Storms, they performed really well - albeit on the warmest Tarmac of the year so far. The front was stable and grippy on the brakes, and there was enough grip front and rear for ample lean angles round Brands Hatch.

The best part of the Triple is still that engine though. With 3,000 miles on the dash, it's well run-in, and has such a beautiful wave of grunt propelling it along. Together with the sweet fuelling, it makes getting on the power out of a corner really easy, and is a much closer match for 'proper' sportsbikes than you might reckon.

I'm hoping to keep hold of the Triple for a bit longer yet - because it's just such a good real-world bike. Check the next issue of SuperBike magazine for more updates.