I agree with your points. I was shocked a few months ago when I did the water absorbtion test in a test tube at how much water “disappeared” in that little sample I had.
I don’t ride my motorcycles that much but my 80’s two cycles still have the original rings with plenty of compression. Four cycles also, for that matter.
The alcohol two strokes used in hillclimbing do use premix, of course (usually castor, I think), but the alcohol is methanol isn’t it? I’m pretty sure the alcohol four stroke racing karts and dragsters are methanol also. I’ve always steered clear of that stuff due to the invisible fires (although it seems safe in karting). All those alcohol classes do flush out the system after use, usually with gasoline.
I store gasoline for emergency purposes and that is the main reason I am so ticked off about the E-10. It does absorb water in the beginning but then unpredictably dumps it, generally at the worst time. There is no known way to prevent this from what I understand.
Ethanol is much better than methanol and has more BTU's per unit. If they would just arrest the corn lobby and get us on sugar based ethanol, we could make a dent in fuel cost and supply until we perfect cellulosic manufacture. We won't even drop the import tax from Brazil. They have it to export at around $1.50 a gallon. ( with the drop in the dollar, that may need to be adjusted). What about importing sugar from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Africa, et al. Instead of sending weapons and foreign aid to these places, why not import some of their products and give them some jobs? We could even use rice from Texas and LA, but we don't. How about potato's from Idaho, but we don't. Sorghum, sugar beets, etc, the list is almost endless, but we use corn and corn only because of a handful of congress critters from the mid west we ONLY use corn. There is a constituency that wants ethanol to fail, and one that wants ethanol to succeed. Brazil has already shown that it will work, but we will still need oil for decades. I just wanted to say something here to cut out the political spin. To claim ethanol destroys engines is just a lie. The first Fords were designed to run on ethanol.
I've put a couple of responses on how ethanol engines could save the world, but you might as well put your flame suit on when you do that. I just know that if you raised the compression ratio( maybe a turbo also), advanced the timing, designed your cam accordingly, used an electronic fuel management system, you could design a 4 banger with 400hp that gets decent mpg's at regular speeds on ethanol. How about a Zetec 2.0 liter that runs a full size truck and pulls boats and such, that can get 27 plus mpg when empty and not stomping it from stop sign to stop sign. If you need the 400hp you have it, but 90% of the time 100hp or less is enough. You can do that with ethanol( not E85). Designing your engine to run only ethanol is the key. A duel fuel setup is designed to run the worst fuel. Once you design the engine for only ethanol, you can't go back. The reason we have E85 is to poison it so you won't drink it without the tax. (Cold starting is easier also) If you had 13:1 pistons, it will start anyway. Also did I mention an engine can run on 160 proof? That's 20% water. 190 is better, but 160 can work. You can't do that with E85 and the main cost of making ethanol is getting that last 5% of water out to make it 200 proof. E85 allows no water in the mix.
We subsidize sugar to prop UP the price. We could make ethanol from sugar sources and make plenty at a cheaper price with a smaller impact on food prices than corn. We would have more sources for sugar based ethanol than just the middle east oil. South America, Central America, Africa and the Caribbean would keep us stocked pretty well with more competition than we have now.
With the tech we have now, wind and solar will never be more than 5-10% until they get more efficient. Nat gas can be made into liquid fuel and is plentiful, but tends to follow the oil price. CNG is a traveling bomb IMHO and there is no filling stations. I just fear, at 57, I may have been witness to the best years for the US. We have dorks that don't seem to know anything running the country now. Truth is truth and lies are lies and we can't even agree what is true anymore. If we get Obama, we will get nada, nothing, just inflated tire pressure for relief at the pump. With McCain, we may get another 2-5 years before we collapse as a country. The socialist mind controllers won't even sell me a burger and fries in California anymore. Britney Spears seems to be running the country. At least Pelosi will save the planet. Everybody get your moped.
Sorry, I'm beginning to rant. I'll go make a toddy with my rum.