Am I too old for sports bikes?

I’ve always been a huge sports bike fan but, like most riders my age, I’ve been moving increasingly towards more practical bikes in recent years – bikes with a more comfortable, upright riding position, bikes that have decent luggage capacity, bikes that have creature comforts like heated grips and adjustable screens. I was slow to get the adventure bike bug (and I still think they’re the ugliest bikes on the market), but after spending a lot of time with a Honda Africa Twin and a Suzuki V-Strom I became something of a convert.

Bikes like those introduced me to a new kind of riding. Once I’d gotten over my initial objection that they were too slow, I learned to relax and enjoy pootling around quieter and narrower back roads and enjoying the scenery as much as the ride, instead of always trying to ride as fast as I could. And I have really grown to love this kind of mental shift – even down to enjoying the comfort of wearing textiles over leathers and having the convenience of a top box or panniers. It just all seems to make sense.

But that got me thinking. Have I really said goodbye to sports bikes forever? Was I going