Late night: the side of a deserted road, in an open plain. The only light, a glow of a distant city. Around me are the men of the elite 10th Special Forces Group. They’re focused on a distant point down the road, where there’s a glint of movement. A pool of light and a burst of sound as a motorcycle springs to life, and hurtles toward the glint. Seconds later, the same machine squeals to a stop. A single round of the nighttime braking test is concluded.

With the winter season here, the folks at Dunlop recently reminded us that it’s a good time to check our tires. If your scoot’s packed away for the winter, you might as well inspect those donuts and determine if you need new ones for spring. And if you’re still out riding—lucky you— it’s never a bad idea to examine your hoops anyway; you may see your share of rainy days up ahead.

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Say you’re cruising a twisty back road and can’t quite see through the turn. How do you know there isn’t a SUV crossing the centerline on the other side? That’s just one of the reasons the Streetmasters Workshop teaches motorcyclists the late apex cornering technique. Co-owner and lead instructor Walt Fulton says, “The delayed apex is not the fastest line through a corner, but it offers you the most options. And options are a good thing for a rider.”

There is an aspect of motorcycling we don't like to think much about, but inevitably must all deal with it. Whether that becomes an ordeal or just another part of the fun will be determined by positive attitude and preparation more than skill and experience.

New riders frequently will ask me for riding advice, which is invariably to take as many rider training courses as you can afford to on street and track, regardless of the kind of motorcycle you ride. If they've already done all that (or are in process of doing so), I give them just one more nugget: "See Everything."

If you recall my last article (Aug. '08), I spoke about muscular balance and how offsetting this natural equilibrium can alter spinal position. It is virtually impossible to be in perfect anatomical position every minute, but we can reverse a lot of the damage our daily routines cause. The key is to use exercises that specifically target the muscle groups responsible for poor posture. Another great way to combat poor anatomical alignment is to switch arms or sides in whatever you're doing. For example, if you have a baby, switch the arm that you hold her with or carry the car safety seat in the other arm. When you grocery shop, evenly load your bags into both arms if you're carrying them. Women should switch the shoulder they carry their pocketbook on, and so on. Try challenging yourself to use your nondominant side in every daily task if you can: It'll make a difference.

Have you ever been at a rally and taken a really good look around? If you gazed long and hard, you probably realized the folks you're checking out aren't exactly the most stand-up group-literally. In other words, your motorcycling brethren are a bunch of slouches. The good news is that most of the general population has bad posture too, not just motorcyclists. The bad news is that the biggest cause of slouching is not laziness, but sitting.

Virtual Safety

By the time you read this most of the country will have made the switch to Daylight Saving Time. Sure, I'm tickled to have that extra hour of light, but I'll still face the occasional post-sunset commute home. And night riding just ain't the thrill it used to be when I was a young buck. Generally speaking, your ability to see at night deteriorates with age, and a twilight spin in my mid-40s demands way more preparation to keep the excitement meter from going off the dial. You've probably heard the sobering stats: A disproportionately high rate of accidents occur between dusk and dawn.

Most of us recognize the importance of at least a perfunctory visual check of our machines before we set out for a scoot, but what many riders forget is that it's just as important to check your body position, too. Out on a one-lane country road 30 minutes into your ride is not the ideal time to be wondering, "Uh, why are my hands tingling? Why are my shoulders tight? And damn it, why does my neck ache?"

For some folks, winter simply marks the end of daylight saving time. For many motorcyclists, though, it signals something far more important-the end of the riding season. But just because the days are short and the air is cold, it doesn't mean you have to stash the ol' scooter. With a little knowledge and the right combination of gear, you can feasibly ride year-round (except for those of you located in the icy, snowy, northern climes).

The arrival of warmer temperatures in spring means a long-anticipated return to the road for a number of winter-weary riders. For those climate-challenged enthusiasts forced to store their ride over the winter months, the first ride of the season should be preceded by a thorough check-up.

Ears Are for More Than Hanging Sunglasses On

If it's a choice between riding our bike or trailering it, we'll take the former any day-even if it's to a rally in another time zone or on a troll through the local hills in the rain. Sometimes, though-like when wrangling multiple bikes to the dragstrip for this issue's comparison test-we don't have a choice.

So you've nailed down a destination, and now you're chompin' at the bit. Throw a few Jockey shorts in the backpack and off you go, right? Not so fast-any overnight trip requires a bit more forethought. And if you're headed on an extended tour on two wheels, remember, "less is more." Even if your week-long odyssey is on a full-blown touring bike, you'll have to make every inch of cargo space count (especially if there are two of you). That ice bucket will start looking pretty dumb after Mile Marker 3. We talked with Tom Mehren, author of the new book Pack Light, Pack Right! (available at www.mm411.com). Mehren's also a proponent of the less-is-more theory. Following are his main packing points:Heavy On The BottomStuff heavy gear closest to where the bag will be mounted on the bike. I like to use a three bag system on extended trips: one big sack for the large stuff, a medium bag for necessities and a smaller one for traveling fast and loose. (This one comes in handy off the bike.) The big bag should be weather- proof, durable and flexible enough to accommodate different loads on different bikes. Attachment points, stiffeners or frames help the cause too. The medium-sized bag should essentially be a stuffable, soft bag that can be rolled up, and I usually grab a backpack for light, off-bike excursions.

If it's a choice between riding our bike or trailering it, we'll take the former any day-even if it's to a rally in another time zone or on a troll through the local hills in the rain. Sometimes, though-like when wrangling multiple bikes to the dragstrip for this issue's comparison test-we don't have a choice.

Motorcycle Cruiser's mothership, Motorcyclist magazine, recently published the following advice to an overwhelmingly appreciative response. We have decided to republish the list of living-saving techniques-in its entirety-for our own readership.

If you're one of those riders who scurries for cover the minute skies go dark, it might comfort you to know that riding in the rain doesn't have to be an exercise in aggravation. Any Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor worth his salt will tell you negotiating wet roads can be downright enjoyable if you bring some good foul-weather wear, tried-and-true defensive-riding strategies and the right frame of mind with you.

This spring, when Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger collided with a car that turned left in front of him, breaking his face and causing a concussion, it triggered a media uproar about the need for helmet laws. Few remarked on the irony or hypocrisy of the situation, the fact that the soapboxes came out when a sports star merely sustained recoverable injuries, but not when dozens of other riders in the same state died because they weren't wearing helmets. The life and death of Joe Rider apparently doesn't much interest editors and readers of general-interest publications, but the chance that a star quarterback might not be fit for football season is a big deal, one that should be prevented with helmet laws or even banning all players from riding motorcycles, as some teams do.

This spring, when Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger collided with a car that turned left in front of him, breaking his face and causing a concussion, it triggered a media uproar about the need for helmet laws. Few remarked on the irony or hypocrisy of the situation, the fact that the soapboxes came out when a sports star merely sustained recoverable injuries, but not when dozens of other riders in the same state died because they weren't wearing helmets. The life and death of Joe Rider apparently doesn't much interest editors and readers of general-interest publications, but the chance that a star quarterback might not be fit for football season is a big deal, one that should be prevented with helmet laws or even banning all players from riding motorcycles, as some teams do.

Experts say that fatigue contributes to between a fifth and a sixth of all car accidents. That may not be true in motorcycle accidents across the board, but fatigue is definitely an issue for riders on trips of three days or more. It's something that you need to consider and prepare for. If you are riding with other people, it is an issue that you should discuss and accommodate as you plan your trip. Different riders will have different requirements for rest, and if the trip is to be a safe one, all members of the group should be willing to accommodate each other.

It could be that my favorite thing about riding motorcycles is the way they turn, leaning over to balance all the forces involved in making a single-track vehicle change directions and go right where you want it. Even after riding through corners hundreds of thousands — probably millions — of times, the process of riding a motorcycle around a turn in the road or racetrack is still exciting and challenging. I'm also sure that there haven't been more than a handful of times in more than 40 years and a million miles of riding that I arrived at the entry to a corner and entered it just perfectly, with exactly the right amount of handlebar pressure, body English, throttle opening and lean angle to deliver me to the ideal point at the apex of the turn without minute adjustments. You virtually always have to make some sort of adjustment as you commit to a line around the turn. To keep all those forces balanced, you can't make any violent changes or you'll quickly find yourself flat-side-down. To avoid doing that, you need to to be sure of what lies ahead .

New research dispels some of the myths about effective brakingMotorcyclists have no shortage of opinions about how to use their brakes. Get a group of riders talking about how to make a hard emergency stop and you'll hear all sorts of opinions:

Experts say that fatigue contributes to between a fifth and a sixth of all car accidents. That may not be true in motorcycle accidents across the board, but fatigue is definitely an issue for riders on trips of three days or more. It's something that you need to consider and prepare for, and if you are riding with other people, it is an issue that you should discuss and accommodate as you plan your trip. Different riders will have different requirements for rest, and if the trip is to be a safe one, all members of the group should be willing to accommodate each other.