When the EPA first started looking at the emission standards of street motorcycles & restricting all motorcycles to California standards (the process began in 2000), bikers were told that we could still choose any color of paint and buy as much chrome as we wanted. ---Huh? Wait a minute! I just bought a new bike, now you're telling me I can't improve it's performance?

Anyway, the phrase "Color & Chrome" stuck in my head and four years later, when I volunteered to put together a run that would benefit motorcycle rights, I decided it would make a catchy name. The proceeds of this year's run went to the general fund of A.B.A.T.E. of Illinois, Inc. Each year Eastern will pick a different place to send the proceeds of Color & Chrome, but it will always be a fundraiser for "the cause".

-Martha Kelley

We were very honored to have Bill Black, State Representative of Illinois' 104^th District, as a guest at the beginning of Color & Chrome. Bill was the recipient of the 2004 Legislator of the Year Award from A.B.A.T.E. of Illinois. He was to have received his vest at the January 2005 State Seminar in Springfield, but a blizzard prevented him from getting there. We were very pleased that our State Legislative Coordinator, Dan Harper, allowed us to present Bill with his vest at the beginning of our Color & Chrome run.

DISCLAIMER: This page is not intended as a legislative statement; for that, go to A.B.A.T.E. of Illinois' web page (www.abate-il.org), the American Motorcyclist Association web page (www.ama-cycle.org), or to the Motorcycle Riders Foundation web page (www.mrf.org). Please visit these web pages. There, you will find lots of information about the new EPA standards along with information about the many other issues that concern us.