Annual West Coast Thunder Motorcycle Parade Sees Thousands of Bikers Honoring Vets

12 Jun 2017

The West Coast Thunder ride brings people together to display their patriotism on a special day

The 18th annual West Coast Thunder event was a major success. The event is an annual fundraiser benefitting the Riverside National Cemetery. Consisting of two distinct events, West Coast Thunder starts at Riverside Harley Davidson for opening ceremonies. After a presentation of the colors and a commencement ceremony, the thousands of riders begin a 10-mile parade to the Riverside National Cemetery. This year, over 7,000 riders made the trip, accompanied by police, fire, and Riverside government officials. From the cemetery, the riders continue to Soboba Casino, in San Jacinto, California. The ride takes the majority of the morning, leaving the rest of the afternoon at Soboba to enjoy the live bands, vendors, and comradery.

This year’s bands included a pair of country music groups; LANco and Eli Young Band. Both groups put on an excellent show for the participants. And if you didn’t want to take part in the ride, tickets were available just for the concerts and vendors.

Tens of thousands of people lined the parade route to witness the thousands of bikes going by

K&N was among the various vendors on hand at the Soboba Event Arena. K&N has supported the event for a number of years. “K&N is honored to support such an impactful event that takes place right here in our community,” explained Ashley Lopez, Shows and Events Manager at K&N Engineering. “Memorial Day is about remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. West Coast Thunder helps K&N do so not only through the thunderous roar that can be heard all over Riverside on this day, but also by being the major contributor of funds to the Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee, who continues to honor these men and women every day of the year.”

And a thunderous roar it is, with that many bikes riding in the same location at the same time it can be heard for miles around. It is almost a salute to those killed fighting for America. It is events like these that bring our communities together and make us forget what side of the political spectrum we stand on or what religion we belong to and instead stand united.