And looking at way the bikini-clad singer emerges from the sea here, she appears to have perfected at least one textbook Bond Girl skill. The GIRLS ALOUD babe strolled to the shore snorkel in hand, just like actressURSULA ANDRESS in Dr No, left. Sarah is eying major film roles after receiving a beefed-up part in the second St Trinian's movie, The Legend of Fritton's Gold. Movie bosses should get down to this beach this week. She'll be inundated with offers.SARAH HARDING dreams of becoming a Bond Girl.
Legend ... Ursula Andress
Hands on ... Sarah Harding
And looking at way the bikini-clad singer emerges from the sea here, she appears to have perfected at least one textbook Bond Girl skill. The GIRLS ALOUD babe strolled to the shore snorkel in hand, just like actressURSULA ANDRESS in Dr No, left. Sarah is eying major film roles after receiving a beefed-up part in the second St Trinian's movie, The Legend of Fritton's Gold. Movie bosses should get down to this beach this week. She'll be inundated with offers.SARAH HARDING dreams of becoming a Bond Girl.Legend ... Ursula AndressHands on ... Sarah Harding
'My Life flashed before my eyes'
Beach beauty ... Abbey Clancy
ABBEY CLANCY has revealed a near-death experience changed her outlook on life.
The WAG, who will wed PETER CROUCH next year, gained some perspective after being involved in a potentially fatal car accident three years ago.
Cover girl ... Abbey Clancy
She told FHM: "My life flashed before my eyes.
"I span round, rolled, smashed the barrier and ended up facing oncoming traffic on the motorway.
"The crash really put life into perspective."
She added: "I realised you should have fun, be happy and stop moaning."
Her fiancé is reaping the rewards of Abbey's new found lust for life.
The England and Spurs striker popped the question last summer and is rarely seen without a big grin on his face when he's pictured out with the Scouse stunner.
Stunning ... Abbey Clancy
'My Life flashed before my eyes'
Beach beauty ... Abbey Clancy
ABBEY CLANCY has revealed a near-death experience changed her outlook on life.
The WAG, who will wed PETER CROUCH next year, gained some perspective after being involved in a potentially fatal car accident three years ago.
Cover girl ... Abbey Clancy
She told FHM: "My life flashed before my eyes.
"I span round, rolled, smashed the barrier and ended up facing oncoming traffic on the motorway.
"The crash really put life into perspective."
She added: "I realised you should have fun, be happy and stop moaning."
Her fiancé is reaping the rewards of Abbey's new found lust for life.
The England and Spurs striker popped the question last summer and is rarely seen without a big grin on his face when he's pictured out with the Scouse stunner.
Stunning ... Abbey Clancy
American Express promotes Naomi Campbell Haitian victims show 
American Express announces its full roster of Cardmember experiences and exclusive access during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, including a partnership with Naomi Campbell’s Fashion For Relief -Haiti NYC, 2010, a special runway event benefiting the victims of the recent Haiti tragedies. American Express has joined forces with some of the biggest names in the fashion and entertainment industries to bring Naomi Campbell’s Fashion For Relief -Haiti NYC, 2010 to the Tent at Bryant Park on Friday, February 12 at 7 PM in support of CARE’s Haiti relief fund. Tickets are exclusively available for Cardmembers starting Friday, February 5 at 10:00 AM at Ticketmaster.com.
Fashion For Relief -Haiti NYC, 2010 Runway Event
Hosted by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, the star-studded Naomi Campbell’s Fashion For Relief -Haiti NYC, 2010 event will feature actors, musicians and celebrities walking the runway in various looks created by some of fashion’s top designers and to be later auctioned online at NET-A-PORTER. American Express Cardmembers will have exclusive access to advance tickets for this live runway event unlike any other, bringing together fashion and entertainment’s most powerful forces for a truly remarkable cause.
"American Express is proud to join Naomi Campbell’s Fashion For Relief -Haiti NYC, 2010 to help bring together some of the boldest names in the industry for a wonderful cause,” said Jessica Igoe, Director of Global Sponsorship Marketing, American Express. “We are continually looking to connect our Cardmembers with the passions and experiences that they love and we are honored to connect them with an amazing fashion experience under the Tents that will ultimately provide needed assistance for the people of Haiti.”
"I am deeply saddened by the recent tragedy in Haiti; so many have been killed and severely affected by the earthquake - women and children in particular are most vulnerable in disasters,” said Naomi Campbell. “Fashion is universal, personal and touches everyone. Our aim is to use this year’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week catwalk to reach people and help raise crucial funds to help save the lives of women and children.”
American Express Skybox and Lobby Lounge Under the Tents
American Express is thrilled to be back under the Tents providing Cardmembers with access like true industry insiders to more than 40 designer shows. Inside the exclusive American Express Skybox, hosted by celebrity stylist Kate Nobelius, Cardmembers will once again have a spectacular view of all the runway excitement in the Tent and Promenade venues while mingling with the industry’s biggest names to gather personal insights into the world of fashion. Already a must-attend experience for all fashionistas, these highly sought after premium access packages for Platinum Card and Gold Card members sold out in record time earlier this month.
Those convening under the Tents will be able to experience American Express’ innovative multimedia wall in the Lobby highlighting tweets and insights from some of fashion’s top designers, Skybox experts and Independent Fashion Bloggers.
American Express promotes Naomi Campbell Haitian victims show American Express announces its full roster of Cardmember experiences and exclusive access during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, including a partnership with Naomi Campbell’s Fashion For Relief -Haiti NYC, 2010, a special runway event benefiting the victims of the recent Haiti tragedies. American Express has joined forces with some of the biggest names in the fashion and entertainment industries to bring Naomi Campbell’s Fashion For Relief -Haiti NYC, 2010 to the Tent at Bryant Park on Friday, February 12 at 7 PM in support of CARE’s Haiti relief fund. Tickets are exclusively available for Cardmembers starting Friday, February 5 at 10:00 AM at Ticketmaster.com.
Fashion For Relief -Haiti NYC, 2010 Runway Event
Hosted by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, the star-studded Naomi Campbell’s Fashion For Relief -Haiti NYC, 2010 event will feature actors, musicians and celebrities walking the runway in various looks created by some of fashion’s top designers and to be later auctioned online at NET-A-PORTER. American Express Cardmembers will have exclusive access to advance tickets for this live runway event unlike any other, bringing together fashion and entertainment’s most powerful forces for a truly remarkable cause.
"American Express is proud to join Naomi Campbell’s Fashion For Relief -Haiti NYC, 2010 to help bring together some of the boldest names in the industry for a wonderful cause,” said Jessica Igoe, Director of Global Sponsorship Marketing, American Express. “We are continually looking to connect our Cardmembers with the passions and experiences that they love and we are honored to connect them with an amazing fashion experience under the Tents that will ultimately provide needed assistance for the people of Haiti.”
"I am deeply saddened by the recent tragedy in Haiti; so many have been killed and severely affected by the earthquake - women and children in particular are most vulnerable in disasters,” said Naomi Campbell. “Fashion is universal, personal and touches everyone. Our aim is to use this year’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week catwalk to reach people and help raise crucial funds to help save the lives of women and children.”
American Express Skybox and Lobby Lounge Under the Tents
American Express is thrilled to be back under the Tents providing Cardmembers with access like true industry insiders to more than 40 designer shows. Inside the exclusive American Express Skybox, hosted by celebrity stylist Kate Nobelius, Cardmembers will once again have a spectacular view of all the runway excitement in the Tent and Promenade venues while mingling with the industry’s biggest names to gather personal insights into the world of fashion. Already a must-attend experience for all fashionistas, these highly sought after premium access packages for Platinum Card and Gold Card members sold out in record time earlier this month.
Those convening under the Tents will be able to experience American Express’ innovative multimedia wall in the Lobby highlighting tweets and insights from some of fashion’s top designers, Skybox experts and Independent Fashion Bloggers.
bebe set to launch ‘bebe-Kardashians’ collection 
bebe stores, inc. announces the launch date of it’s design collaboration with Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian-Odom under the label ‘bebe-Kardashians’, scheduled to hit bebe’s U.S. stores mid-February and Internationally shortly thereafter.
The first ‘bebe-Kardashians’ collection will feature a capsule of sexy, seductive and body-conscious dresses, skirts and tops reflecting bebe’s brand aesthetic melded with the style of all three Kardashian sisters. “This is honestly a dream come true,” says middle sister Kim. “We have always loved fashion and have wanted to design for such a long time…I love bebe and wear their clothes all the time so I can’t wait for our collection to come out…” Youngest sister Khloe touts “we have always been huge fans of the line…it will be so exciting to see people wearing clothes we (helped) design and I can’t wait to rock the clothes myself!”
“A partnership and design collaboration with Kim, Kourtney and Khloe is such an innate fit for bebe. They exude an attitude that is exactly what today’s modern woman is - or aspires to be – confident, desirable and feminine,” states Manny Mashouf, Founder & CEO for bebe stores, inc. “All three are in the know and have each contributed in their own way to the design and styling of the ‘bebe-Kardashians’ collection.”
A total of five deliveries are slated over the next twelve months.
The ‘bebe-Kardashians’ collection will make its runway debut on Tuesday, February 16th during New York Fashion Week at Style360, the 2-day style event produced by HFMUS (Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.). bebe stores inc
Leading industry stalwarts hold fort at IIF 2010 
The Images Group successfully conducted the 10th edition of IFF in 2010, celebrating a decade of excellence in organizing some of the world's largest Fashion and Retail congregations. IFF 2010 witnessed visionaries from across the world sharing their visions with around 3,000 delegates from fashion and retail industries. The conclaves and workshops facilitated extensive interactions to discuss and strategize growth across the textile, apparel and fashion verticals.
With almost 100 percent participation of the main stakeholders, who hailed from all main fashion brands, marketers, retailers, supply chain & logistics, retail design and the entire support industry, the 10 edition of IFF presented an unparalleled opportunity for learning from the stalwarts from the industry for the ones just initiated in to the sector.
Day one of IIF '10 began with a packed house at the WGSN seminar titled ‘Global Trends Update Autumn Winter 2010/11 & Beyond'. The speaker was Ms Juliet Warkentin, Content Director, WGSN, who spoke about the key moods, colours, details and shapes inspiring fashion trends across the globe.
This was followed by inaugural welcome address given by the anchors of the IFF 2010; Anish Trivedi, Chairman and MD, Banyan Tree Communications and Jayant Kochar, MD, Go Fish Retail Solutions. After which a theme presentation was presented on Unfolding the Business of Fashion for the Decade Next by Ireena Vittal, Principal, McKinsey (India).
Next on the agenda was the inaugural panel discussion which had luminaries from the sector like Dr P.R. Roy, Former Group Chief Executive (Textiles), Arvind Ltd and currently Director atFibre2fashion, Kishore Biyani, Chairman, Future Group, Nikhil Chaturvedi, MD, Prozone, Dilip Kapur, MD, Hidesign and Prof. Ravi Dhar, Director, Yale Center for Customer Insights. The panel discussion was centered on unfolding the business of fashion for next decade and consumer behavior.
The AEPC conclave was anchored by Premal Udani, Chairman, Apparel Exporters Promotion Council (AEPC). Leading exporters from the fashion industry discussed the prospective markets of the future by discussing the global versus domestic scenario. The noon session of Business Intelligence Workshop was initiated with a discussion on how Gini & Jony optimised its operations through Business Intelligence, by Niraj Jaipuria, Director, Regional Sales-Asia Pacific, BIRetail and Gaganjit Kahlon, Head IT, Gini & Jony.
The evening session titled 'Fashion Connection' was split into two halves. The first half had a set of eminent panelists discussing the equation between sports and fashion, which was anchored by Subhinder Singh, MD Reebok India. The second half had an eminent set of panelists exploring the equation between 'Bollywood and Fashion'. There was a robust discussion about the star power of Bollywood celebrities and their fashionable personas that help various retail brands to communicate better with their consumers. Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
bebe set to launch ‘bebe-Kardashians’ collection bebe stores, inc. announces the launch date of it’s design collaboration with Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian-Odom under the label ‘bebe-Kardashians’, scheduled to hit bebe’s U.S. stores mid-February and Internationally shortly thereafter.
The first ‘bebe-Kardashians’ collection will feature a capsule of sexy, seductive and body-conscious dresses, skirts and tops reflecting bebe’s brand aesthetic melded with the style of all three Kardashian sisters. “This is honestly a dream come true,” says middle sister Kim. “We have always loved fashion and have wanted to design for such a long time…I love bebe and wear their clothes all the time so I can’t wait for our collection to come out…” Youngest sister Khloe touts “we have always been huge fans of the line…it will be so exciting to see people wearing clothes we (helped) design and I can’t wait to rock the clothes myself!”
“A partnership and design collaboration with Kim, Kourtney and Khloe is such an innate fit for bebe. They exude an attitude that is exactly what today’s modern woman is - or aspires to be – confident, desirable and feminine,” states Manny Mashouf, Founder & CEO for bebe stores, inc. “All three are in the know and have each contributed in their own way to the design and styling of the ‘bebe-Kardashians’ collection.”
A total of five deliveries are slated over the next twelve months.
The ‘bebe-Kardashians’ collection will make its runway debut on Tuesday, February 16th during New York Fashion Week at Style360, the 2-day style event produced by HFMUS (Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.). bebe stores inc
Leading industry stalwarts hold fort at IIF 2010 The Images Group successfully conducted the 10th edition of IFF in 2010, celebrating a decade of excellence in organizing some of the world's largest Fashion and Retail congregations. IFF 2010 witnessed visionaries from across the world sharing their visions with around 3,000 delegates from fashion and retail industries. The conclaves and workshops facilitated extensive interactions to discuss and strategize growth across the textile, apparel and fashion verticals.
With almost 100 percent participation of the main stakeholders, who hailed from all main fashion brands, marketers, retailers, supply chain & logistics, retail design and the entire support industry, the 10 edition of IFF presented an unparalleled opportunity for learning from the stalwarts from the industry for the ones just initiated in to the sector.
Day one of IIF '10 began with a packed house at the WGSN seminar titled ‘Global Trends Update Autumn Winter 2010/11 & Beyond'. The speaker was Ms Juliet Warkentin, Content Director, WGSN, who spoke about the key moods, colours, details and shapes inspiring fashion trends across the globe.
This was followed by inaugural welcome address given by the anchors of the IFF 2010; Anish Trivedi, Chairman and MD, Banyan Tree Communications and Jayant Kochar, MD, Go Fish Retail Solutions. After which a theme presentation was presented on Unfolding the Business of Fashion for the Decade Next by Ireena Vittal, Principal, McKinsey (India).
Next on the agenda was the inaugural panel discussion which had luminaries from the sector like Dr P.R. Roy, Former Group Chief Executive (Textiles), Arvind Ltd and currently Director atFibre2fashion, Kishore Biyani, Chairman, Future Group, Nikhil Chaturvedi, MD, Prozone, Dilip Kapur, MD, Hidesign and Prof. Ravi Dhar, Director, Yale Center for Customer Insights. The panel discussion was centered on unfolding the business of fashion for next decade and consumer behavior.
The AEPC conclave was anchored by Premal Udani, Chairman, Apparel Exporters Promotion Council (AEPC). Leading exporters from the fashion industry discussed the prospective markets of the future by discussing the global versus domestic scenario. The noon session of Business Intelligence Workshop was initiated with a discussion on how Gini & Jony optimised its operations through Business Intelligence, by Niraj Jaipuria, Director, Regional Sales-Asia Pacific, BIRetail and Gaganjit Kahlon, Head IT, Gini & Jony.
The evening session titled 'Fashion Connection' was split into two halves. The first half had a set of eminent panelists discussing the equation between sports and fashion, which was anchored by Subhinder Singh, MD Reebok India. The second half had an eminent set of panelists exploring the equation between 'Bollywood and Fashion'. There was a robust discussion about the star power of Bollywood celebrities and their fashionable personas that help various retail brands to communicate better with their consumers. Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
Rachel Roy & Fairwinds to create jobs in Africa Designer Rachel Roy and Fairwinds Trading have partnered on a unique product collaboration in an effort to create jobs for women in Africa. As part of this collaboration, items that are hand-crafted in Africa by female-owned businesses will be integrated into select seasonal Rachel Rachel Roy collections beginning in Spring 2010. Rachel Rachel Roy is a division of Jones Apparel Group.
The launch collection features a clutch that was crafted in Tanzania using indigenous fabrics and textiles. The collection also features a bracelet and earrings handmade in Rwanda. The bracelet is fashioned from shredded woven paper and both the bracelet and earrings feature beads constructed from a unique paper layering process. These one-of-a-kind works of art were created by women using patterns and techniques unique to their community of origin.
Founder and artistic director Rachel Roy said, "My goal as a working woman and mother is to support women's independence through employment. For the women who benefit from the Fairwinds Trading partnership, the opportunity to work is an important source of self-respect and financial freedom. I support this important organization and its ongoing collaboration with Macy's made it a perfect fit for the Rachel Rachel Roy brand. The vast network of African artisans that Fairwinds has brought together is immensely talented and I am excited to be able to incorporate their artwork into my collection."
Willa Shallit, founder of Fairwinds Trading said, "The RRR clutch represents the story of a chain of women supporting one another: A woman in rural Congo spends her days weaving Kuba cloth, she then holds out her hand to a woman in Tanzania who takes the woven cloth and adds other beautiful materials to it. That Tanzanian woman hands it to Rachel Roy who takes the Kuba cloth and makes it into a brilliantly designed clutch, which a woman then purchases in the United States. Four separate women's lives are interconnected through this one accessory. It is a direct and powerful chain that works to fight poverty, through beauty."
Flotea Masawe, owner of Marvelous Batik, who produced the clutch said, "We used Kuba cloth from weavers in Congo and crafted the clutch in Tanzania before sending it to the U.S. for Rachel's final touches. This clutch really has created a chain of women in three different countries who linked together to help alleviate poverty by providing employment and economic opportunities for African women."
The Rachel Rachel Roy Fairwinds collaboration will be available at rachelroy.com and select Macy's stores and macys.com. This collection compliments Macy's existing partnership with Fairwinds including the Rwanda Path To Peace collection which features exquisite baskets handcrafted by Rwandan women.
The collaboration with Fairwinds Trading is part of a series of limited edition capsule collections that merge fashion with culture, art, music, photography and philanthropy to bring a unique element to the Rachel Rachel Roy brand.
The Rachel Rachel Roy collection features affordable contemporary sportswear, footwear, handbags and jewelry. The collection is available exclusively at select Macy's stores and online at macys.com/rachelroy and rachelroy.com. Jones Apparel Group
Rachel Roy & Fairwinds to create jobs in Africa Designer Rachel Roy and Fairwinds Trading have partnered on a unique product collaboration in an effort to create jobs for women in Africa. As part of this collaboration, items that are hand-crafted in Africa by female-owned businesses will be integrated into select seasonal Rachel Rachel Roy collections beginning in Spring 2010. Rachel Rachel Roy is a division of Jones Apparel Group.
The launch collection features a clutch that was crafted in Tanzania using indigenous fabrics and textiles. The collection also features a bracelet and earrings handmade in Rwanda. The bracelet is fashioned from shredded woven paper and both the bracelet and earrings feature beads constructed from a unique paper layering process. These one-of-a-kind works of art were created by women using patterns and techniques unique to their community of origin.
Founder and artistic director Rachel Roy said, "My goal as a working woman and mother is to support women's independence through employment. For the women who benefit from the Fairwinds Trading partnership, the opportunity to work is an important source of self-respect and financial freedom. I support this important organization and its ongoing collaboration with Macy's made it a perfect fit for the Rachel Rachel Roy brand. The vast network of African artisans that Fairwinds has brought together is immensely talented and I am excited to be able to incorporate their artwork into my collection."
Willa Shallit, founder of Fairwinds Trading said, "The RRR clutch represents the story of a chain of women supporting one another: A woman in rural Congo spends her days weaving Kuba cloth, she then holds out her hand to a woman in Tanzania who takes the woven cloth and adds other beautiful materials to it. That Tanzanian woman hands it to Rachel Roy who takes the Kuba cloth and makes it into a brilliantly designed clutch, which a woman then purchases in the United States. Four separate women's lives are interconnected through this one accessory. It is a direct and powerful chain that works to fight poverty, through beauty."
Flotea Masawe, owner of Marvelous Batik, who produced the clutch said, "We used Kuba cloth from weavers in Congo and crafted the clutch in Tanzania before sending it to the U.S. for Rachel's final touches. This clutch really has created a chain of women in three different countries who linked together to help alleviate poverty by providing employment and economic opportunities for African women."
The Rachel Rachel Roy Fairwinds collaboration will be available at rachelroy.com and select Macy's stores and macys.com. This collection compliments Macy's existing partnership with Fairwinds including the Rwanda Path To Peace collection which features exquisite baskets handcrafted by Rwandan women.
The collaboration with Fairwinds Trading is part of a series of limited edition capsule collections that merge fashion with culture, art, music, photography and philanthropy to bring a unique element to the Rachel Rachel Roy brand.
The Rachel Rachel Roy collection features affordable contemporary sportswear, footwear, handbags and jewelry. The collection is available exclusively at select Macy's stores and online at macys.com/rachelroy and rachelroy.com. Jones Apparel Group
However, there are some significant updates of Yamaha’s well-rounded line to share, including a surely popular R1 Rossi replica and a retuned R6, along with the introduction of a swoopy bagger from Star Motorcycles, plus a refreshed version of the V-Star 1300 Tourer. Star Stratoliner Deluxe Did you know that there are three categories of touring cruisers? The “cruiser touring” class consists of a plain windshield, saddlebags and a passenger backrest, and it has regularly been the sales leader. Recently, the “Full Dress” segment has moved into the top spot, but there has also been an upsurge in the number of “casual full-dress” cruisers, typified in the Harley-Davidson Street Glide with its bat-wing fairing and hard bags. The nicely finished Stratoliner gets a Deluxe variant for 2010. Enter the impressively sleek Stratoliner Deluxe. It’s built on the exceptionally finished platform of Star’s Roadliner/Stratoliner, boasting 1854cc of air-cooled V-Twin power, a stout and light aluminum frame, and high-end fit and finish. New to the cruiser-touring Stratoliner is the addition of a streamlined version of a bat-wing fairing that looks perfectly integrated into the Strato’s existing design. A clear windscreen lip tops the slanted nose, while the rear end is defined by aerodynamic hardshell saddlebags. If Dale Earnhardt Sr. or Johnny Cash rode a “casual full-dress” cruiser, the Stratoliner Deluxe might be it. The new Strat Deluxe will be going into battle against new competition in its class. Along with the Street Glide and Road Glide juggernaut, it will also be compared with Victory’s new Cross Country. Nearly all Japanese OEMs are raising the MSRPs of their motorcycles, so the Deluxe’s $17,490 shouldn’t be overly shocking. See it at your local dealer in January. V-Star 1300 Tourer The V-Star 1300 is an underrated cruiser, with a high level of finish and plenty of power for most riders of this type of bike. It’s likely neglected because it straddles a market segment: not cool or powerful enough for a high-end cruiser, and too expensive (at 10K-plus) for budget bike. Nonetheless, there are plenty of cruising riders who would be perfectly happy on it. Anyway, in an effort to give the Tourer version of the 1300 a little sizzle, Star Motorcycles has made some ergonomic and dress-up tweaks. Taking a note from Harley’s playbook, a new seat puts its rider nearly an inch closer to the ground, now at 27.2 inches, and a reshaped handlebar is said to offer more comfort. A new emblem spices up the fuel tank, and extra chrome for the headlight housing and belt guard increase the bling. Ergonomic and cosmetic tweaks for the 2010 V-Star 1300 Tourer. Available early 2010 at an $11,790 MSRP. Galaxy Of Stars Raider: Receives new colors, Candy Red and Liquid Silver. Available this month for $14,190. Raider S: New colors, too. At dealers in January starting at $14,790. V-Star 950: Gets three new colors this year and will soon be at dealers. Prices start at $8,090. V-Star 950 Tourer: Now arriving in two new colors, starting at $9,190. Yamaha’s Sportbike Lineup No new models for 2010, but a few updates to existing platforms. YZF-R6 New noise restrictions for 2009 hurt the engine performance of Yamaha’s brilliant track weapon, the R6. We were sad to rank it last in our Supersport Shootout, as it’s a thrilling ride and the most aesthetically pleasing 600, but its top-endy motor held back its scores. To counter that criticism, Yamaha has made five modifications to optimize power. Inhalation is enhanced by changes to the intake funnels and airbox, while exhaling is done through a different-sized exhaust pipe and a muffler that is nearly 4 inches longer. A revised ECU oversees the operation, and Yamaha says to expect stronger low- and mid-rpm power while maintaining upper-end performance. Available in three colors, America’s best-selling supersport will arrive at dealers in January, retailing for $10,490. The R6 is available in a new Pearl White color along with Raven (black) and Team Yamaha blue/white versions. YZF-R1 Limited Edition When we went to the USGP at Laguna Seca this year, we were overwhelmed by the sea of Valentino Rossi paraphernalia worn by countless spectators. When commenting on the immense popularity of Rossi, Pete mused, “I can’t imagine anyone not liking him.” The millions of Rossi fans out there can get their fix with a special version of the R1. Not only sharing its crossplane crankshaft with the Yamaha MotoGP bike, this new LE is fitted with a graphics kit that mimics the Fiat-sponsored M1. The distinctive yellow #46 is displayed on the nose and above the taillight, and the multi-colored “The Doctor” name tag is applied to both sides of the windscreen. A replication of Rossi’s signature graces the rear of the fuel tank. This new LE shouldn’t be confused with the 2006 LE, so don’t expect Ohlins suspension or anything other than the cosmetic add-ons. Rossi worship is yours for $14,500 starting in January. FZ1 When we rode the FZ1 sports-roadster literbike at its 2006 press launch, we were a little disappointed by its relative dearth of low-end grunt compared to the torquey previous version. Heeding our complaints, Yamaha has now given the Fizzer a fresh algorithm of ECU mapping intended to provide stronger pull at moderate rev levels. Throttle response is said to be improved, as is the linearity of torque production. Get yours in January for $10,290. BNG Bold New Graphics is the description of changes to the rest of Yamaha’s sport line. The Raven color of the FZ6R comes with gold wheels to help live out your inner Burt Reynolds/Trans-Am fascination. FZ6R: Introduced and tested earlier this year, it can be had in a choice of four updated colors starting at $7,390. FJR1300: Available in January for $15,190 including standard ABS, the FJR that impressed us in our recent Sport-Touring Shootout now comes in a new Liquid Silver color.2010 Yamaha/Star Lineup Unveiled
The rapid-fire introductions of new models we’ve been accustomed to over the past decade are being curtailed, so the streetbike news from Yamaha and its Star Motorcycles brand is fairly thin this year.
In this class of bikes, a sound system is de rigeur, and Star does it in an innovative and inexpensive way. Instead of a bulky and pricey head unit that includes a radio and amplifier, Star goes the minimalist route by relying on the iPods and MP3 players of its customers. A handlebar-mounted controller provides easy access to your tunes via the integrated wiring. Amplification comes from the powered speakers in the fairing.
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