OK, killing 2 birds etc. Re Nutah's post, I pop in a couple of times a week to see whose riding what and see what craps been spotted on fleabay.
Re charging issue - I replaced all battery leads/earth straps with seriously heavy duty versions and also checked voltage drops and earthing having thought it could not possibly be the brand new Odyssey battery I just bought. How wrong I was. Just put on a Yuasa YTX14H-BS which seemed to be well recommended and problem solved. ARGHHHHHHHHH. What a waste of ffing time! Been for a 50 mile blast this evening safe in the knowledge that if I pull over, the ffing bike will start again. Great, although having dressed for a late summer ride I can't feel my nads anymore.
