Dorion Ozykowski rides three countries in three days

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Dorion “Nose” Ozykowski, of Rainy River may be 63 but age is no barrier for his love of motorcycling.
Last November he sent $280 to the Southern California Motorcycle Association hoping that he would be one of the lucky 200 bikers selected to participate in the 33rd Annual Three Flags Classic. He was selected as rider 36 of 200 and was ecstatic.
The run began on Aug. 29, 2008 in Mexicali, Mexico and ran to Nanaimo, British Columbia in three days for a total of 1,835 miles (2,953 k.m.).
Dorion said that a large percentage of the participants this year were from Alberta and that he was the 2nd farthest away rider. Only a guy from the Yukon came from farther. “I travelled 2,480 miles from here to the start.” In travelling there, on the run and home he logged 6,354 miles. Then when he returned home he travelled to Moto GP Races in Indianapolis for a total of 8,354 miles in three weeks.
On the Three Flags Classic he said they hit three check points in Ganderville, Nevada, Brookings, Oregon and Morton, Washington before ending at Nanaimo, B.C. “We had to make it there in three days to be considered a finisher.”
Near the end of his run he was thinking that was not going to happen. “I lost my oil plug so I used duct tape to plug it. But it did not hold well. I stopped often using oil, duct tape, oil duct tape, oil duct tape.” Being that it was Labour Day weekend he was not sure if he would find anyone who could help fix the problem properly.
After taking a rubber dice from a dollar store and carving it round and wrapping string around it to plug the hole and again using duct tape, Dorion was certain he would not make it.
But after a call to Paul Mondor “The Ice Man” who is a mechanic at a BMW shop in Langford, BC he received a surprise call back on his cell telling him to come to his house where they fixed Dorion’s bike.
The Ice Man was not just a hero for insuring Dorion was road worthy again, but he is a personal idol of his. “This guy is famous for riding his bike coast to coast in the winter in Canada. I have followed him for ages.” So when he was able to get his bike fixed by him, Dorion also checked out The Ice Man’s famous bike and had some pictures taken with it and him.
Dorion made it to Nanaimo and participated in the awards banquet there receiving a participation plaque. “It was a great trip, one that I will never forget!”
He has also done other trips including the Four Corners of the U.S. in 1993, The North Bay Black Fly 1,600 km and has travelled to Bike Week three times in Florida. He is also a member of the Iron Butt Association which requires a rider to travel 1,000 miles in lest than 24 hours to belong.
He is currently driving a 2004 BMW R1150R and plans to keep riding for years to come. “You don’t quit riding because you get old, you get old because your quit riding.”