Yes, there certainly are some rogue bikes Nigel and I am sorry that you got a real humdinger.
My EV used to eat wheel bearings, they all literally do that sir(for some inexplicable reason), the cams were recalled as they were originally made of chocolate and when the engine was sandblasted prior to painting it was discovered that the crankcase had been cracked and the Italians just filled the crack with glue.
But, after all that, it was a great bike.