Seventy Two

In 1972, the Brady Bunch ruled TV, the Eagles dominated radio, and Atari launched a video game revolution with Pong. But California pop culture was playing out a bit differently on two wheels, with candy-colored customs thundering down the boulevard, clearing away traffic and turning heads. It's this era that Harley-Davidson distills in its new Seventy-Two, a laid-back Sportster with sparkling metal flake paint introduced Wednesday. The vibe of this bike isn't menacing so much as playful, with its mini ape hangers, skinny white walls and throwback “peanut” tank, which holds only 2.1 gallons of gas but, for Harley's increasingly young and urban buyers, is more than enough to get them to the corner bar. In developing the Seventy-Two, Harley-Davidson looked into its rear view and scavenged from its past, per usual, but it also peeked into the garages of custom shops in France, Japan and Germany, where its designers were dazzled with metal flake finishes and “raw, simplified looks,” said Harley-Davidson media relations manager Jennifer Hoyer.

Cook's Corner, in Orange County, has long been a haven for area motorcyclists. But the legendary Trabuco Canyon roadhouse was more jammed than usual Wednesday. Scores of bikers had gathered to get a glimpse of two new motorcycles unveiled by Harley-Davidson Motor Co. for the 2012 model year: a laid-back Sportster called the Seventy-Two and a Softail Slim retro bobber. Harley-Davidson typically introduces all of its new models and updates at a single event in the summer. But with the market still soft in a tough economy, the Milwaukee manufacturer has in recent years wheeled out new bikes in the off-season.

Cook's Corner, in Orange County, has long been a haven for area motorcyclists. But the legendary Trabuco Canyon roadhouse was more jammed than usual Wednesday. Scores of bikers had gathered to get a glimpse of two new motorcycles unveiled by Harley-Davidson Motor Co. for the 2012 model year: a laid-back Sportster called the Seventy-Two and a Softail Slim retro bobber. Harley-Davidson typically introduces all of its new models and updates at a single event in the summer. But with the market still soft in a tough economy, the Milwaukee manufacturer has in recent years wheeled out new bikes in the off-season.

In 1972, the Brady Bunch ruled TV, the Eagles dominated radio, and Atari launched a video game revolution with Pong. But California pop culture was playing out a bit differently on two wheels, with candy-colored customs thundering down the boulevard, clearing away traffic and turning heads. It's this era that Harley-Davidson distills in its new Seventy-Two, a laid-back Sportster with sparkling metal flake paint introduced Wednesday. The vibe of this bike isn't menacing so much as playful, with its mini ape hangers, skinny white walls and throwback “peanut” tank, which holds only 2.1 gallons of gas but, for Harley's increasingly young and urban buyers, is more than enough to get them to the corner bar. In developing the Seventy-Two, Harley-Davidson looked into its rear view and scavenged from its past, per usual, but it also peeked into the garages of custom shops in France, Japan and Germany, where its designers were dazzled with metal flake finishes and “raw, simplified looks,” said Harley-Davidson media relations manager Jennifer Hoyer.

Los Angeles area residents intending to go to the post office today may be in for a surprise as postal officials, seeking to cut $160 million from this year's operating budget, have closed down 21 offices on Saturdays and shortened weekday hours at more than 110 others. Mail delivery will still continue on Saturdays. However, there will no longer be Sunday pickup or processing, adding a one-day delay to mail delivery during the week.

If you're yawning right now, chances are your dog is about to do the same thing. A study published in the journal Biology Letters this week found that human yawns are contagious to dogs, a sign that man's best friend may be capable of a rudimentary form of empathy. To scientists, dogs have been a bit of a puzzle. Dogs are adept at reading human intentions and excel over other animals in picking up human hand gestures and other behavioral cues.

Seventy-two British soccer fans were arrested early Wednesday in Norway after they went on a rampage in an Oslo pub, destroying furniture and fixtures, police said.

Seventy-two people died and another 72 were seriously injured in Spain's worst weekend for traffic accidents this year, the Interior Ministry said Monday.

Seventy-two amateur and non-seeded professional surfers advanced on the first day of the Op Pro Surfing Championship Tuesday at Huntington Beach. Local surfers who advanced Tuesday include Colby Outlaw, Kirk Tice, Mark Austin and Bud Llamas, all of Huntington Beach. Tuesday's winners advance to today's qualifying heat semifinals of the nation's largest professional surfing competition. Today's winners earn a spot in the professional competition that begins Thursday.

The lunch order at Lucy's El Adobe on Melrose was as follows: Cesar Rosas: steak picado with corn tortillas. David Hidalgo: chile relleno, with a beef taco dorado a la carte. Louie Pérez: vegetarian burrito. Conrad Lozano: steak picado, but could he have flour tortillas instead of corn please? The waiter, originally from Tijuana, knew he'd been handed a setup line. "No flour here!" he barked at Lozano. "Only Mexican people here!" PHOTOS: Unexpected musical collaborations The Los Lobos bassist and his bandmates broke up laughing.

Seventy-two Canadian potash miners walked away from an underground fire and toxic smoke after staying overnight inside locked airtight chambers packed with enough oxygen, food and water for several days. "I'm almost getting choked up thinking about how well this team worked together," said Marshall Hamilton, a spokesman for Mosaic Co., the Minneapolis-based owner of the mine.

Seventy-two members of Congress urged President Reagan and other world leaders to intervene on behalf of South Africa's "Sharpeville Six." The six are scheduled to be executed July 19 for the murder of a local black township official who was killed when a mass 1886547828years ago.