If your bike was rendered useless by a hosepipe then you have a problem somewhere, and you really need to get it resolved.

I wash my Tenere, and have done since day one (it's nearly 3 now) with a Karcher without any problems at all. At times I've had the bike tank high in water too (we have some roads that double as rivers here) without any issues you are describing.

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Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.