Psycology about Bikes and Cars?

C'mon brother you took it to seriously when I said I didn't know if I could ride next to you cause your bike was so dirty. But this is actually a very good question.With my extensive background in matters of the mind and being a mechanic myself I think the answer to the question is very simple--Knowledge!We as mechanics know what makes a vehicle perform better and most of us have heard all the wives tales that may or may not be true.That is why when we have those kind of problems it bugs the crap out of us-after all who knows their vehicle better than we do? I like the placebo wash and tune idea.and I also would say that most would never know as long as their car was ready to pimp daddy.This is no different than my woman keeping the house spotless cause she doesn't want the grankids getting sick,yet every year she is the one that keeps getting sick.As an added effect I would like to present 2 different attitudes if you were to do this experiment.The 1st being happy as heck when the customer comes in and start laying the biggest line of BS on them with a smiling face-heck I bet half of them would give you a tip.On the other side,show a grimaced face when they come in--after you know you fixed it correctly-and I bet half of them would come back complaining.So as mechanics I think that we can convince people just by what we say and our facial expressions. I know that when I get done polishing a bike up and call my client to come for a pickup,I am right there wiping it down still when they arrive and NEVER have I had anyone not be completely satisfied(except for the prices LOL)after their first look.Psychology and attitude play a big part in our business,that is what separates us from the crowd.I have a friend who is meticulous about his truck and claims he gets 3mpg better when he keeps the truck nice and shiny,every time he says this I just snicker to myself and tell him,I bet it does.So I guess you could boil this all down to one statement--Some people ain't got a clue-if it looks new it runs like it is new right.

External stimuli can have a big effect on the human brain. Shining up the car isn't any different than the difference in the way you feel when you get out of your dirty work clothes, shower and shave, splash on a little aftershave and put on a nice suit and tie. You not only believe you look better, but you actually feel better (about yourself). It's all in the head. All the logical explanations in the world will never be able to fully explain how the human psycho works.

Possibly as the bike or car is nice and clean, the subconscious mind expects the vehicle to run like a new one and our perceptions are changed to suit.

Or

I have absolutely no idea.

Your idea about the test would be a good one. If you were in Australia, you could apply for a government grant to conduct the test over a couple of years lol

A guy at work wore some high dollar sunglasses when he drove his car. I asked if he drove better wearing $75 dollar shades as opposed to $5 shades. He said yes. Dirty vehicles create more drag due to the rough surface, air doesn't flow as well compared to a slick surface.(?) When I described my bike to a friend of mine and mentioned it had a flat black motor he replied, "hmm drag". As far as a metaphysical aspect, When I clean my bike I put alot of karma in the process. I love my bike, the way I feel when I'm in the wind. In my heart, and soul it does seem to cut thru the wind better when it's clean and shiny. Aww heck now I got to go for a ride. Rock n Roll

It's the same reason that if you were to buy a red Taurus, you would start seeing a lot of red Taurus', so many in fact you would swear they just started selling them down the street right when you bought yours. Also the same reason out of 500 signatures, you will find yours 10 times faster than if you were looking for someone else's. You just spent some time with your vehicle so it is fresh in your mind, so now you are more aware of it.

I used to have an old car that would break down every time I cleaned it out, I washed and vacuumed it one time and the distributor froze which caused the timing chain to break.

I think the first guy is right. But I notice it only when I do the work myself. When I wash my car or change the oil or spend sometime cleaning my bike, it seems to run better. If someone else does it, the car or bike doesn't seem to run any better.