Ups & Downs

UPS & DOWNS

ROUNDUP

DOWN: To bad luck, for impeding Bernarda "Benka" Pulko's attempt to circumnavigate the globe. The 31-year-old's solo effort stalled in South America when her BMW F650 suffered burned intake valves and a fried CDI unit. And a dead battery. And several flat tires. Alone, broke and sick, Pulko lamented, "I'll go on. I'll just eat less and sleep in less secure places." To help Pulko realize her dream, The Chain Gang is selling T-shirts adorned with the Slovenian's likeness. Send $25 to The Chain Gang, P.O. Box 160074, San Antonio, TX 78280; 800/532-5557.

UP: To Delta Airlines' Sky magazine, for knowing where the boys are. Or rather, the men. With its eight-page feature, "Where the Men Are," written by Owen Edwards and illustrated by Kevin Lee, the magazine points out that many eligible bachelors can be found in the twisties on sportbikes, not knocking down beers and 100km' for "strange." Writes Edwards, "Like sports cars of an earlier era, (sport bikes) are not particularly comfort able for long distances, but they can get from here to there very quickly and with a maximum of fun."

UP: To Harley-Davidson test riders Scott Johns and Jim Whittaker, for saving the lives of an elderly couple trapped inside their burning automo bile. Upon arriving at the scene of the accident in Oxford, Alabama, Whittaker phoned 911 while Johns pried Robert and Irma Humphrey from the vehicle. The couple escaped without injury, Ironically, Whittaker had saved Johns' life in a similar incident one year earlier. Acknowledged Johns, "When someone's willing to put his life in harm's way to help you, that's the ultimate sacrifice."