West Coast Thunder in Riverside rides for fallen heroes

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- The rumble of thousands of motorcycles filled Indiana Avenue in Riverside for the 17th annual West Coast Thunder Memorial Day ride.

Riders honored the fallen who gave their lives in the name of freedom. At precisely 9:11 a.m., more than 7,000 motorcycles began rolling out.

An honor guard kicked off the parade, along with a procession of specialty cars honoring the victims of the 9/11 attacks.

Hundreds of people lined the 10-mile route to the Riverside National Cemetery. Many held flags and signs while cheering on the riders' motorcade.

"It is not about having barbecues out in the back yard. First, we need to honor our fallen warriors. They sacrificed their lives so we could have freedom, so everyone could have a barbecue today," said Joe Ruiz of Riverside.

New this year, West Coast Thunder partnered with Rear Area Support Foundation and replaced rider's lapel pins with dog tags.

The name on each tag reflects a victim's name on the organization's Global War on Terror Wall of Remembrance.

See Leticia Juarez's full report in the video above.