RIP Dad

[Mike Burgess]

For all of those who knew and loved him, It is with a very heavy Heart that i must let you all know that Dad lost his battle with Cancer today. From the original days @ Greeves Sales of New Orleans to the opening of his biggest dream in life " Competition Cycles Sales" Dad gave it all his very best, No matter what he was doing at that time. From Jackpine To Daytona, Through the Baja One Thousand to his very last SERA Senior Championship. It was through his love and devotion i was able to learn the value of true friendships and the never ending love and respect to all in this community. From the first Greeves, Sach's 80's to the First steel tanked Pentons, The first Husqvarna's, DKW's, Hercules and the Rokon's Dad loved them all but most of all he LOVED the people who made this tight knit family what it is today. People like Mr.John Penton,Ted Penton,Tom,Jeff & Jack Penton. Dane Liembach, JR Horne, Doug Wilford, Leroy Winters, The Weisman's,Richard Sanders,Jack Letho,Dick Burleson and i could go on and on. It's all of those people and all of you that Dad loved the most about this industry. Clark Gristina has the last Penton Dad restored and loved spending all the time with Clark to make his dream come true. Dwight, you know he loved you like a son and we are blessed to have you as family. Dad, We're going to miss you more than any words can say but i'm at peace knowing your no longer in pain and your in a much better place now. Thanks for all the love and Thanks for all the years of great memories. GODSPEED and RIP Dad

[firstturn]

Thanks for the notice.  He will be missed.

Ron Carbaugh

[Larry Perkins]

Mike,

I am sorry for this great loss to you and our sport!

Larry P

[pakala]

Mike,
 I had the pleasure of meeting and riding with your Dad a few years back at Bob Rigby's trail ride out in Mississippi. He had a cool little Sachs 80cc that he was going to ride. I talked him into riding a yamaha it175 for the major part of the ride and boy was I impressed. He was rippin through the Mississippi woods. I enjoy listening to his storys and spending the weekend with him. I only met him one time and he left an impression on me. You have a very cool Dad!!
                 Paul (socal)
 Ps. I have a neat photo of your Dad with his Sachs. If I knew how to load pics on here I would post it. I will post pic over at Vinduro.

[tomale]

Mike, I am sorry for your loss, few things in life is more painful than losing someone like your father. He is right, nothing in life is more important or valuble than family and friends.

Thom Green,Still crazy after all these years!
76' 250 MC5 (orginal owner)74'
250 hare scrambler (project bike)

[SouthRider]

Godspeed Don Burgess.....



Donald C (Mike) Burgess was like a Father to me, and to most who ever met him. He took in every one who entered his shop, offered them his help, and sent them on their way better than when they got there.

In the early days he was a fierce racer. His prowess took him to the Alligator Enduro, where he rode a Greeves 250 to the Overall B win (and an instant A Card). After the race John Penton (who was one of his heroes) called him over to his trailer to look at some strange new bikes that he had just received from Europe. "Mike will you ride one of these new Pentons at Stone Mountain" John asked. "John I'd be honored to, but I just agreed with Sachs to ride an 80 for them there, and I can't go back on my word to them."

John insisted that Mike take the bike home. He did, raced it to success in a local race, and someone bought it. He called John to send him the money - "Mike thats great, now I'm sending you another one", and one of the first Penton dealerships was born.

Later Mike called John to ask him if he knew how to get hold of a Husky, as many riders were asking for them. "Why Mike, I'm the east coast distributor now, I'll send you some".

John demanded that his kids and the team ride basically stock bikes, but they often hungered for any tricks that would make them more competitive. Mike had become one of the premier engine builders in the south, and built many very trick Pentons for his own kids and other racers from his shop. Mike won many SERA Enduros overall on a Penton 100.

J.R. Horne recognized the value of Mike's skills, and often enlisted him to build special parts for the kids in Ohio, to be smuggled to them through the back door. Some of his innovations made it onto six-day bikes. Mike was especially proud of his exhaust systems, which were significantly lighter, and made more mid-range power than stock, a design that is used & copied to this day.

Mike had a strong friendship & fierce rivalry with Leroy Winters, racing his Sachs 80 to the Overall at the Battlefield enduro in Natchez with Leroy second, and the following year Leroy came out on top with Mike close behind.

As the pressures of running a full blown race shop kept Mike from competing full time he learned to make the best out of all the leftovers in his shop. He would take any bike that wouldn't sell, trick it out, race it, and make it desirable.

A heavy 4 speed 400 husky wasn't very desirable with new models out. Mike de-tuned it, gave it "growl power" and the envy of all. Then an underpowered 175 Husky that wouldn't get out of it's own way became a nimble light easy to ride Enduro bike.

When Rokons were considered strange beasts that people were afraid of, he built the fastest one in the country (with a 40 mm Lectron), and made it into an easy bike to ride & maintain. Next thing you know we had a flourishing Rokon dealership.

I met Mike as a long haired 18 year old kid, one whom many would run out of their shop. A few years later he took me in as his apprentice and the first day there my job was an engine overhaul of a KTM engined Penton. I had no idea what I was doing. "Start by taking the bike outside & washing it clean enough for me to eat off of it" he said. After about 3 hours and several tries I finally had it clean to his standards. "Now take the motor out of the frame", But how? "Do it by removing everything that isn't the engine". After another couple hours, a lot of cussing, and severely cut hands it was on the bench. "Now take the engine outside, and scrub it until I can eat off of it." But it's clean already!!! Not for him - each engine build had to be like a surgical field. By the end of the day I had learned how to properly clean, disassemble, inspect an engine for wear, and create a parts list. The next day we assembled it with the same precision, and my career as a mechanic had begun.

I was but one of many who were honored to receive this education.

I spent this Saturday in Mike's shop, finishing a restoration of a 250 Husky that Mike urged me to build this spring. We began it together, and at his insistence I continued the build though he couldn't be with me due to his illness.

He passed on a lifetime of mechanical experience to any who would listen, and spend the time with him.

I will sorely miss his patient guiding hands.


Clark



Clark A Gristina
Covington La

[Dwight Rudder]

Godspeed Mike. I will sorely miss him. He was a good friend and I though highly of him and his advice over the years. I had tried to call him last week and just called this morning and Linda gave me the bad news. It has hit me like a ton of bricks.
Gonna miss you, Mike

Dwight:(

[Speedy]

quote:Originally posted by pakala

Mike,
 I had the pleasure of meeting and riding with your Dad a few years back at Bob Rigby's trail ride out in Mississippi. He had a cool little Sachs 80cc that he was going to ride. I talked him into riding a yamaha it175 for the major part of the ride and boy was I impressed. He was rippin through the Mississippi woods. I enjoy listening to his storys and spending the weekend with him. I only met him one time and he left an impression on me. You have a very cool Dad!!
                 Paul (socal)
 Ps. I have a neat photo of your Dad with his Sachs. If I knew how to load pics on here I would post it. I will post pic over at Vinduro.

Download free IMAGESHACK and follow it.Its easy.

Helmut"Speedy"Clasen
 Ontario Canada
http://speedy_c.tripod.com
http://picasaweb.google.com/vindurospeedy
3 x Sachs MC-GS 250-7A
1 x Hercules 350-7A 76
2 x Hercules 250-7A 76
Zuendapp 125 GS 72-73

[Speedy]

quote:Originally posted by Mike Burgess

For all of those who knew and loved him, It is with a very heavy Heart that i must let you all know that Dad lost his battle with Cancer today. From the original days @ Greeves Sales of New Orleans to the opening of his biggest dream in life " Competition Cycles Sales" Dad gave it all his very best, No matter what he was doing at that time. From Jackpine To Daytona, Through the Baja One Thousand to his very last SERA Senior Championship. It was through his love and devotion i was able to learn the value of true friendships and the never ending love and respect to all in this community. From the first Greeves, Sach's 80's to the First steel tanked Pentons, The first Husqvarna's, DKW's, Hercules and the Rokon's Dad loved them all but most of all he LOVED the people who made this tight knit family what it is today. People like Mr.John Penton,Ted Penton,Tom,Jeff & Jack Penton. Dane Liembach, JR Horne, Doug Wilford, Leroy Winters, The Weisman's,Richard Sanders,Jack Letho,Dick Burleson and i could go on and on. It's all of those people and all of you that Dad loved the most about this industry. Clark Gristina has the last Penton Dad restored and loved spending all the time with Clark to make his dream come true. Dwight, you know he loved you like a son and we are blessed to have you as family. Dad, We're going to miss you more than any words can say but i'm at peace knowing your no longer in pain and your in a much better place now. Thanks for all the love and Thanks for all the years of great memories. GODSPEED and RIP Dad

Mike.I am not sure I met your dad,but every one of our dirt lovers gone will be missed.
Plaese have my condulations.

Helmut"Speedy"Clasen
 Ontario Canada
http://speedy_c.tripod.com
http://picasaweb.google.com/vindurospeedy
3 x Sachs MC-GS 250-7A
1 x Hercules 350-7A 76
2 x Hercules 250-7A 76
Zuendapp 125 GS 72-73

[Dwight Rudder]

Speedy,  Mike rode my Hodaka Dirt Squirt with the Super Rat engine a couple years ago at the ISDTR in New Blaine, Ark.  He fell in a water hole and sucked water in .  He decided to quit rather than possibly ruin an engine.  I think you were there and met him.  I may have introduced you two as you were both my friends. He was putting around in the pits on his Sachs 80 Boondocker.
Dwight

[Mike Lenz]

I lost my mom a little over a year ago.  It WILL get less gut wrenching over time. The Lord be with you and your family.

[jeff greenberg]

Mike, I wish that I had known your father. So sorry for your family's loss.
Jeff

[thrownchain]

Having lost my own dad 5 years ago, I'm with ya [V]

[SouthRider]

Mikey,

I wore your Dad's husky jersey on the first day of the Combs ISDT warmup race this weekend in his honor. It was a true mud run, one that an iron man like he was would have truly appreciated.

I felt him on my row the whole weekend.

Give me a call when you get a chance.

Clark

[Jack Penton]

Mike,

My most sincere condolence. It is a very sad day.
I will relay the sad news to dad.

The truest form of praise for a persons life is to be remembered after we are gone and your dad will be remembered forever, so fondly by so many.

God bless,

Jack Penton