Well, £135 poorer, I have my commuter/tourer back. It took both a new ignition relay - a special fused two-pole jobbie that motor factors don't sell, and yet another exorbitantly priced Ducati voltage regulator after the last one went phut last week. I expect I'll keep both the old regulators: the first is useful as a check/emergency unit and the second has softer potting compound which I will, in time, dig out in order to reverse-engineer the damn things. That's also at least the second relay I've replaced. Both the regulator and these relays are best regarded as slow consumables, it seems. Thinking about it, to date this bike has eaten: two voltage regulators, well, the original still regulates but the warning light stuck on and the potting compound is cracked; the second one just died completely; four oil pressure switches - the current one is "resting"; one fuel level sensor - found that out the hard way: still not fixed; two stainless-steel exhaust collector boxes - both cracked, both welded, then the baffles worked loose and started rattling in both; one battery - though that was probably due to too many short journeys; and finally two clutch cables. Plus all the usual consumables, of course. For all that, still my preferred commuter. It's not anywhere near as manically fast as the TL but it's just... pleasant. Corners are just as much fun and there's less frustration with the morning A14 crawl - I tend to look upon the slow cages with a more benevolent eye.
