Sarah Palin on a motorcycle in Washington

At the back of a Harley, wearing a black jacket, the former governor of Alaska participated with her family at a gathering of motorcyclists at Sunday’s annual Memorial Day Rolling Thunder ride-along in Washington, D.C.

Palin, surrounded by a crowd of cheering supporters and several members of her family, joined the thousands of motorcyclists who linked the route from the Pentagon to the Vietnam Veterans’ memorial.

A defeated candidate for vice-presidency of the United States in 2008, Sarah Palin didn’t mention politics, but displayed a wide smile when many in the crowd urged her to seek the Republican nomination for 2012.

For now, Sarah Palin has not yet taken concrete steps to launch a presidential campaign, while many of her rivals have already begun to assemble campaign committees.