One wouldn’t guess David Ezell rides a Harley. Affable and helpful, he’s far from the tatted-up Hell’s Angel who comes to mind when one envisions motorcyclists.
Yet riding solo through the Everglades is one of the best ways Ezell connects with himself, one of the best ways he finds to be present.
For Ezell, principal software architect for Verifone, Clearwater, Fla., riding motorcycles began as a means to get around rural Georgia, where he grew up. He stopped riding soon after college but got the bug again in 2005, when a co-worker came to the office excited about his new Harley.
Q: Tell us about your first motorbike.
A: I was 12 years old and it was a Honda 50-cc Mini Trail. My grandmother bought both my sister and me one. That really put my mother into a state of fear, but it’s how we got around. With the kids next door, together we lived on 10 acres near Atlanta.
Q: What was the next step?
A: My next bike was a Honda 70-cc Mini Trail. At 15 years old, I finally moved up to a Honda 125, which is a full-sized motorcycle. A year after that, I got a Honda 250 Excel off -road motorcycle, which I took to college. I eventually sold it and didn’t have another until 2005.
Q: Why did you stop?
A: I got very busy with school. Once you’re not involved in it, you have a tendency to leave it alone.
Q: How did you get back?
A: In 2005, a Verifone colleague who sits next to me got married to a woman with a Harley, so he got one. Just listening to his excitement, that was more than I could stand.
Q: How did you go about getting a new one?
A: I had a really good friend in Tampa, Fla., who researched motorcycles and told me to get a Road King Custom, which I bought at Fletcher Harley-Davidson around the corner from Verifone. I liked its simplicity. It’s black and chrome, nothing flashy. To me, the thrill is riding.
Q: Why are you so into motorcycles?
A: It’s the feeling of freedom and yet having that moment-by-moment responsibility. In a car, your mind can wander, but on a motorcycle, it can be deadly. It’s also an intimate thing. For instance, when I go to central Florida, I can smell orange blossoms in February.
Q: Tell us about your gear.
A: When I first started riding, I had a jumpsuit. But all that’s too complicated. Now I have a riding jacket, protective jeans and boots. And of course, a helmet. You don’t have to wear one in Florida, but it goes back to my deal with my mom about being safe, so it feels wrong not to wear one.
Q: Tell us about your trips.
A: My biggest was to visit my two oldest nephews in Athens, Ga. It was 450 miles. I wasn’t prepared. You’re cruising at highway speed, but after a while, you realize you’re just hanging onto a piece of metal.
Q: What were your thoughts after that trip?
A: I usually plan vacations with family and friends—never anything by myself. Riding a motorcycle demands your undivided attention. These days, I see the value of having alone time, not thinking about anything in particular except what you’re doing.
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