Mike Burford Mike Burford grew up on a farm in Iowa during the "Off-Season", when the Carnivals, and County Fairs closed down for the winter. But come springtime, he was out on the "Midway", traveling with his Dad's Side Show through out the nation's Heartland. It was a hard, and unforgiving life, where loyalty, and a strict Code of Honor were the secrets of survival. "If you ain't With It, you just won't Get It." So, "If you don't Get It, you just ain't With It." The Carnie Life is a lot like life in an Outlaw Motorcycle Club. They are both closed societies that you must "Prospect" for to gain admittance to. They stand as one against outsiders, and never trust the "Citizen". Mike started riding motorcycles on the backside of the midway when he was about twelve years old. His father got him his first H-D, an Iron head Sportster, for his 16th birthday. He learned how to ride, and to ride hard while tryin' to keep up with his brother Leon, who was a Kawasaki Works GP rider. He'd race his brother's factory bikes with his Sporty. Mike served a tour of duty with the Army in the Orient, and was discharged in Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, where he met many of his biker friends. Later, he and his brother Leon came to the Texas Hill Country to ride the Hill Country roads, and chase Austin's hippie girls. As fate would have it, Leon crashed on the racetrack, and Mike had too much fun in, and around Austin, so he moved to the hills of Tennessee for a slight change of scenery. He moved to Clarksville, where he had some friends, and got a job as a lineman with the T.V.A. stringing cable and fiber optics in the mountains. Many times the only way in was by helicopter. While Mike was in Tennessee, he rode the mountain roads with members of the Outlaws MC, and other 1%er types. His best friend, Chuck, gave him a '47EL basket case, which Mike still has today. Mike has ridden on Pans, knuckles, and Shovelheads, as well as a couple of Evos. He currently has a '47 EL Knuckle, and a Pan-Shovel under construction, and is looking for a nice Heritage Soft tail Classic Duce for a "daily rider". Mike has served as a photographer, and member of the Web Staff of Outlaw Biker magazine from 1994-1999. He is also a Lifetime Member of the Texas Motorcycle Rights Assn., and is active with Sputnik in trying to put a positive spin on future, as well as pending legislation affecting us as Bikers. Mike's Freak Central Productions put on the notorious 1st Annual Biker Rave 2001, and is already planning Round II of the Rave, so stay tuned for more details as soon as they become available. If you would like to have an event covered by Mike's Motorcycle Mayhem, or would like to participate in one of the events produced by Freak Central Productions, send us an email. Get a Job Get a Job
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