UPDATED: Motorcyclist Killed In Lake Elsinore

UPDATED AT 7:42 A.M. JULY 23, 2013: A motorcyclist who crashed into a tree Monday afternoon on Riverside Drive in Lake Elsinore has died.

The crash was reported at approximately 1:40 p.m. in the 30500 block of the busy roadway, a few blocks west of Gunnerson Street.

According to a report from Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department spokesman Mark Annas, the motorcyclist died at the scene.

The preliminary investigation revealed the rider, who was the only one on the 2011 Harley Davidson Heritage Soft Tail, was traveling east on Riverside Dr. west of Gunnerson, when he attempted to pass several vehicles over a double yellow line, according to a report from Sgt. Peter Giannakakos of the Lake Elsinore Police Department. 

"While doing so he lost control on the dirt shoulder of the road and collided into a large palm tree. The rider was pronounced dead on scene," the sergeant wrote in the report.

Riverside Drive, between Lash and Rose streets, was shut down in both directions from 1:45 p.m. and remained closed until approximately 6 p.m., according to Giannakakos.

The 51-year-old motorcyclist's identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, according to the Riverside County Coroner’s Office.