Am reading that these e bikes and front wheel motor conversion cant be ridden in the rain or washed with water due to corrosion in motor drive electrics?

Take the front wheel and mount it on the rear fork and then you can wash it with water.

I rode an e-bike with a front hub motor for a couple of years. I rode under all conditions as it was my commuter. So, to answer your question, No.

It's the same situation for motor in front or back, and the answer is water does not get into most hub motors easily. The main entry way is thru the power cable, and most of them are (a) covered with a gasket, and (b) pointed downward. They've found that water can drip down the wire and go inside if the wire loops up instead of down. The cable is highlighted in purple here and see how it goes down,



Now water could get into the handlebar controls (display and throttle) . It could get into the electronics. It could penetrate into harnesses and get inside motors mounted on the frame. All of that has happened to owners, but it will depend on who made your ebike.

I did an ebike front motor conversion on my hybrid. The controller is mounted high on the seatpost so my body shields it pretty well and it has rubber gaskets and seals around the wires. The various cables are a universal fit, were all too long and would have been messy, so I added a 4X4 covered plastic junction box just below the seat and tucked all the plugs and excess wire int to. It protects the connections from the elements and cleans up the bike. I use a set of snap-on fenders when the trails are wet - mostly to keep me, not the electrics, dry! The handlebar display and brake levers with cutout switches seem adequately sealed.

Like others I have been caught in the rain, and this time of year the trails have lots of water from snow melt, but I have never had any issues. In fact, the trails are so messy right now I have had to hose the bike off the last two rides. There is also a lot of grit from winter road sanding, so I use a no-residue silicone lube on the drive train, and re-lube often.

So - no issues so far. I have only had to ride a couple of miles in the rain, so I can't vouch for what would happen riding 25 miles in a downpour, but I don't anticipate any problems.