The Motorcycle Sidecar Journey That Changed Everything
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Concept
ride the bike down the road
Sidecar riding changes the way the motorcycle feels day-to-day—how it goes straight, how it slows down, and how it handles in traffic. That’s why people describe it as a different kind of riding.
Concept
cannot lean into curves
With this kind of sidecar, the bike doesn’t lean when you go around a corner. So you have to steer and position yourself differently than you would on a normal solo motorcycle.
Concept
traditional sidecar
A traditional sidecar is attached to the motorcycle in a fixed way. When you turn, the bike can’t lean the same way it would by itself, so cornering feels different and can be more challenging.
Concept
sidecar mounted directly to the bike
If the sidecar is bolted on directly, it stays in a fixed position next to the bike. That changes how stable the bike feels and how it handles turns compared with riding alone.
Concept
lean into the neighboring lane or into oncoming traffic
With a sidecar, the combined width and turning geometry can push the motorcycle toward the edge of the lane in left turns. Depending on road layout and where the sidecar sits, the rider may need to track closer to the neighboring lane or even toward oncoming traffic, increasing risk.
Term
dual sport
A dual-sport motorcycle is made to ride on both paved roads and dirt trails. It’s a bike you can take on mixed routes without switching to a totally different machine.
Term
foot peg
A foot peg is where your boot rests when you stand up to ride. The design matters because it helps you control the bike and keeps your foot from slipping, especially in dirt or mud.
Term
leverage
Leverage here means how your stance and where your feet touch the bike help you control it. Good peg design helps you push and balance the bike more effectively.
Term
geometry
Here, “geometry” means how the bike is set up so your body lines up with the controls. If that alignment is off, it can be harder to shift and brake smoothly.
Brand
IMS products
IMS products is a company that makes motorcycle parts, including foot pegs. The point they’re making is that IMS designs the pegs to help you control the bike better.
LIVE
Eva had already learned what motorcycle travel gave her, freedom, movement, a way to live
outside the usual shape of things. Then she brought Polly into that life. With a sidecar
built for her dog, Polly, Eva set off east with only sort of a loose plan and a long horizon.
The road led through Turkey and into Iran where the journey became something that she had not
planned for. This is a conversation about motorcycle travel, sidecar life, traveling with the dog,
and the question that stayed with Eva even after Iran. What makes a journey a good one?
I'm Jim Martin. This is Adventure Rider Radio. Stay with us. We get a good one for you.
Hi, this is Charlie Bourbon. You're an East School Macker.
Simon Manicum. Austin Vane. Grant Johnson. Jocelyn Snow. Ted Simon. Simon Patey. Jimmy Lewis.
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My name's Jalvis. Clinton Smart and you're listening to Adventure Rider Radio.
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Okay, my name is Eva, Eva Streler. I'm German. I've lived in Germany until a few weeks ago,
and now I'm in the south of England, and I'm a travel writer.
Eva, welcome to Adventure Rider Radio.
Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. It's a great pleasure and honor, and yeah, exciting.
Thank you. Thank you for coming on. So you mentioned you're a writer. It seems like it's
something that is probably a pretty difficult trade to do in this time that we're in.
Yeah, it absolutely is. It's exciting and tough, but unfortunately, I have a partner who believes
in me and supports me, but yeah, I want to get there. And I have other jobs. When I was in
Germany, I had cleaning jobs and part-time jobs just to make that happen.
To supplement your work as a travel writer. That's a real passion, then, isn't it? I mean,
that's how you can tell someone is doing something that they're passionate about,
because they'll do whatever it takes to finance this passion and make it what they want.
That's what it is. I have a good friend in Berlin, and she is just following her stuff,
and sometimes we sit there and think, are we just crazy doing this? Why are we going the tough way?
And then we look at each other, and it's like, well, we don't have a choice.
Otherwise, you would just betray yourself. But just remember the people on the other side
that are actually reading the material you put out, because that's the people that you impact.
And sometimes it's tough to remember that, of course, because we all have to make a living and
get by. But it's those people who are reading your stories, who are impacted by it. And that's
the important thing in life. And that's why it really means so much when they
write you somewhere on social media or in a review or whatever. You have kicked my ass,
and I got going, or you have inspired me. And that's really, yeah, it's one of the biggest
things you can do, right? Yeah, no, definitely. Where are you right now?
In Limington, that's in Hampshire in the New Forest in South England.
In South England. And you've just moved there? Yeah.
You moved from Germany, because you mentioned you're from Germany. Why did you move to England?
Well, I got fortunate enough to meet the best man in the world. So all ladies out there, sorry,
he's gone. He grew up here. His mom still lives in this wonderful 200 year old house. And
we were lucky enough to get on so well, all the three of us that we moved in. And he had a job
in Germany. That's how we met. And the job is finished. And I kind of think I can work everywhere.
And, yeah, kind of trying to get into the English speaking world, which, of course, is an adventure
in itself. You're saying you're a travel writer, but is this travel in general, or are you writing
about motorcycle travel? Motorcycle travel, actually. So that even takes the genre down to
a finer point, doesn't it? Yeah, like less people to buy stuff, but more crazy people to buy stuff.
So I hope it loads up. And even not, I mean, as I said to that friend, or as that friend and I say,
there's no choice, what can we do? It's how we want to live, or I want to live. And then there's
got to be a way to do it. And if it's with side drops, then that's the way it is. But of course,
if you want to travel long term, that's the problem. These two or three weeks of normal
working people holidays are just not enough. So you got to find flexible jobs.
And yeah, is that where this comes from? Is it your desire to travel long term on motorcycle?
Is that where the whole travel writing thing has stemmed? Yeah, yeah. Well, I grew up in
East Germany. And, you know, we were limited in traveling to like Eastern countries, if at all.
But I kind of could not believe that I shouldn't be able to get into the US one day. And it was
always clear in my mind, I would somehow, I don't know how I would see the States.
And yeah, then as a teenager, this motorcycle dream came, I'm going to ride my bike in the US.
So you did, you did ride your bike in the US?
I did. I spent six months in my late thirties riding my bike there, took it over there on a
cargo ship, came on a cargo ship myself. And yeah, we landed the bike at me. We ride the bikers
landed on the East coast and then traveled a bit of New England down the Appalachians and then
over to the West to Seattle down the coast. And then from California back to Florida and then
was it. But why, why the motorcycle? What is it about the motorcycle and travel? Why, why do you
want to ride it in the US? Okay, first why motorcycle when traveling? Someone once said,
the moment you put a frame around something, it's losing a lot of its appeal. Like you put a frame
around a picture, you take a landscape with your camera, you watch landscape through your car window.
And it's what it is. It just makes it smaller and you don't have that on a motorbike. You have
like panoramic view all the time. I love feeling every half degree Celsius. I'm not as good as
Fahrenheit at Fahrenheit I won't pretend. You know, feel the changes and just stopping and
looking and breathing. It's just breathing differently on a bike. So have you been riding
a bike since you were a kid or something? No, I started at 37 because it's only then that time
and money came together you for the license and for the bike. Yeah, and then I wanted to go right
away to the US, but got taken ill with a sincere depression and then seasons wasn't right. And
then I needed to earn more money for that. So it took two years after having gotten the license that
I actually did that trip. Yeah, and that changed everything. It was a problem. What did it do for
you? Well, a friend said, Eva, watch out. If you do that trip, you will be like wasted for the normal
life. And I was like, oh, no, can't be that bad. And of course, that's what it was. I realized that
I never again wanted to give up that freedom, you know, deciding for myself going where I wanted
in small scale, like on the road and in larger scale in life. I don't want to be restrained,
constrained. But isn't that what most people would want? I mean, I know we fall into a
routine often and we'll do things, you know, because it's our routine, but doesn't everybody
want freedom? I mean, don't you know, if you go and you work at your job every day and doing
whatever it is, aren't you kind of looking forward to the weekend or retirement or after
work? I mean, isn't that sort of everybody? I mean, I guess what I'm saying is what you're
what you're kind of saying is you don't want to work. And it's like, yeah. Okay.
No, I'm your work and you ask me.
I think that one sponsor. Yes. And of course, I have to find a way
making that work. And that's cleaning jobs and whatever. So yeah, it has to be periodically
or I mean, there are people that travel full time and sell their stories and their photos and
whatsoever. But I also need my anchor and my harbor and I also want to decide what part of the
trip I kind of market and what trip I don't what thing I don't I don't want to be obliged to make
it a thing that goes well on social media, for example, and you would be to a certain degree.
So it's really balancing on what would you say on a tightrope?
How did you come across a sidecar? How did you end up riding with a sidecar?
I ended up with the most wonderful dog in the world, lucky me.
Oh, so it was the dog first and then you think of how do I get the dog on the bike?
Yeah, so I did the US on my solo bike. Then I thought, well, it's this one life. I want this
dog. I'm going to get the stock and I'm going to make it happen to ride with her. Unless,
of course, she wouldn't have wanted to. Then that's a no go. You don't do it with a dog that
doesn't want to ride. And there are several solutions to take your bike to your dog on a bike.
And well, I got this lady, Paulie from Romania, and I was like, yeah, she's got a good size.
She will go on the back of the bike. And then she just grew and grew and grew.
And it was clear.
You're talking about the dog here, Paulie. Paulie, let me just take you back here first.
Because I'm really stumped at something in your story here. You went on a motorcycle trip to the
US. You fell in love with the freedom of riding your motorcycle. And then somehow you're trying
to tell me that you get some dog that is completely the opposite of, I mean, having a dog is all
of a sudden this responsibility. It's this animal you're gonna have to worry about transporting.
And you're thinking of changing your motorcycle to accommodate this dog. What dog is this?
And what is it about this dog that is going to turn your life upside down?
Well, it was really hard to give up leaning into curves. I can tell you that.
How bad? But what about the dog? What is it about this dog? Talk about this dog.
So she's a rescue from Romania. She has German shepherd in her.
Very fluffy pepper and salt and pepper you say in English, right? So I got her when she was a
puppy of six months. And it was clear to me that I either do these trips with her or not at all.
And I was lucky enough to have a motorcycle builder who fell in love with her too and who said,
okay, we're gonna build a cycle for madam. And that's what he did. And I have as much
head as much responsibility for her as that I have for myself like sleeping well, eating well,
not riding longer than it's good for me and safety, everything with it. But that's what I'm
saying is it's like to take on the responsibility because that's what a dog is. I mean, aside from
the joy and everything you get from a dog, I'm a dog owner. I certainly get that. But there's a
responsibility. Like when you look at this fluffy little puppy that all puppies are cute,
when you look at this puppy, you have to understand what it's going to mean to you. You are at that
point identifying somewhat as a motorcyclist riding this motorcycle. Why this puppy? What is it about
this puppy? Well, everything she came out of that transporter. And she jumped at me and into my arms.
And then she was scared of going in that car at home. And it was like, for the very first moment,
I just felt, gosh, there is this wonderful being that I said I will take care of so she needs me.
And I also am responsible to help her grow to a self confident dog, like take her fears away,
be there when she needs me and all that. I don't have kids. And I guess that's kind of
the closest that I have come to having kids. I never dressed her as one for the record.
But yeah, I guess it was kind of that feeling. I wanted to give love to a being and I wanted to
see it happy. So that's why you're saying, you know, you can't see it as a problem.
You are willing to do whatever it takes for this lovely little dog, this little puppy that
there's no doubt. I mean, dogs love you. You know, once they get to know you,
once they begin to love you, they love you no matter what. And I think that's one of the
great things about dogs, isn't it? They're unconditional love. They look past your faults.
They don't care what you look like when you get up in the morning or how you talk. They love you
for who you are as a person. And that's really special. So the dogs started to grow. You built
a sidecar and now you're riding around with a sidecar. Talk about what that was like.
Well, great. Of course, she is the cutest dog in the world as well. Of course, in that sidecar
after a period of lots of cheese and lots of sausage. So she got a little bit pudgy.
Yes. And then she sat there and just loved it, you know, the wind in her nose. And of course,
she had to have glasses so that the wind and little stones wouldn't hurt her ears. And that
looked so cool. And I mean, people were looking at her. Every traffic jam was bearable all of a
sudden because she was flirting with it. It was just, yeah, great experience. And I actually said
it was hard to give up leaning into curves for that sidecar. Of course, there are sidecars or
combos where you also can lean in curves with your bike, but these would have been more expensive,
blah, blah, blah. So I didn't have that. But having her next to me and just having to turn
my head and see her smile, I swear, or even being to touch her, that was very important to me when
we constructed the bike that I could touch her while driving in case she got scared or something
was nasty. Being so close to her and being in this adventure with her was like best thing ever.
You think that she really enjoyed being in the sidecar or just being with you?
I have often asked that myself because, you know, every dog owner, they want the dog to be happy.
No one just wants to do, I hope so at least, something and doesn't care how the dog feels.
But I really think she liked it. She leaned forward in the wind. She could lay down in the
sidecar anytime. She would do that at 80 kilometers per hour, not before, you know,
because she wanted that. And I even have some footage that I took and looking at that, I really
think I can say that she was happy. Going back to what you said about missing, leaning into curves,
talk a little bit about what it's like for those of us who have not ridden with a sidecar and I
have not. What is it like? What does it really change for you? How does that feel to ride the
bike down the road? As I said, I can only speak for a sidecar where the bike is all the way upright
and cannot lean into curves. Right, the traditional sidecar is mounted directly to the bike.
Exactly. Others that can, I actually wouldn't have wanted because in a left curve or depending
on what country you are in, but in a left curve with a sidecar, then you are so wide that you
actually have to lean into the neighboring lane or into oncoming traffic. So I guess that would
even be more dangerous, although it's definitely more fun. Yeah, what is it like? It's really
dangerous when you get back to solo bike because on traffic lights, you don't take your feet down
anymore because you don't have to. Getting back on your solo bike, you better think of doing it again.
I never thought of that. That's true. That's a habit that you lose. Exactly. Yeah, then traffic jams,
without a dog, they are just frustrating because of course you can't get in between cars, which
do or which I did in a solo bike. So you have to wait like all the bloody cars.
But yeah, I mean, you are kind of an attraction in the road still, especially with older ones. So
mine was a used bike, used sidecar and everything. It just looked really robust. And people like
it. They want to talk to you about it. I think so. Yeah.
When you ride down the road, does it feel like you have to wrestle this thing a little bit?
Or does it not have the agility? It's like when you're on a motorcycle, it's like you're almost
like you're with an incredible ballet that you're performing or something. Whereas a picture with
the sidecar, it's almost like a little bit more of maybe a boxing match. It's more work. So you
can skip the gym arm exercises, but you have to do more core. You get more core on a solo bike.
And especially taking the curves. And yeah, that's more work. There are experts that can
lift the sidecar in curves. I never tried that. So it's a totally different kind of fun. And
when we went east, there were roads, especially in Turkey, where I thought, oh, damn, I need to
come back with my sidecar and with my solo bike. It's so beautiful here. These roads and curves
and narrow tracks. Yes, exactly. But on the other hand, there was no dropping the bike,
which is also a thing. I was going to ask you what the advantages were. And I can totally see
that. Yeah, I mean, you're much more stable in unstable situations. That would make sense.
Absolutely. Absolutely. You can take away more luggage. I mean, that was two girls on tour here.
And yeah, it's different and it's great. And I wouldn't want to have to choose.
So you decided to go traveling with the dog, with Polly, Polly's in the sidecar.
What was the plan for the trip that we were to talk about this trip that you did with Polly?
So what was the plan for this trip? Where were you going and what was the idea?
Well, the plan was to go to the Pamir Mountains because I had seen beautiful pictures of that
landscape and that got, you know, I was just hooked by those pictures and I wanted to ride
those roads, the Pamir Highway. And then along the way, I wanted to find as many
places as possible where she can just run free without a lead, just in nature, being a dog.
So I was kind of dreaming of coming back through Mongolia. That was like a horizon dream, let's
say like that, to see her run through this landscape. And that's what needed to be part
of the journey, absolutely. What's it like traveling with her? Are you camping and do
you just sort of come into a spot and let her run or how do you do it?
Yeah, I mean, we only had this one long trip and a short trip before just to practice.
But that's how I usually travel and that's how I did it with her. Just go the direction I want to
go and then as of five o'clock, look for a place that is good for the tent or maybe it doesn't even
need a tent and has lots of nature around. And if such a spot, we come by it before, then we stop
before and just enjoy. And with her, of course, after every hour of riding, I would stop and let
her run. Is that when Polly was her happiest? Yeah, I think so.
What style of traveler are you? Do you do a low budget sort of thing? Is that your style of travel?
Well, do you have a choice?
So it's not a style, it's just the way life is. Okay, let's say like that. If I had the money,
I wouldn't sleep in a tent. Oh, that's interesting. No, it's not my favorite way of traveling,
really not. I've accepted it because it's what I can afford and there are advantages. Of course,
again, the freedom you have, you don't have to be at a certain place time, blah, blah,
but I appreciate a good bet. But you know, for me, it's either traveling like this or not
traveling at all. And it makes it possible choices. Yeah, exactly. And yeah, what about your
planning style? Did you plan a lot? Is there, you know, is everything detailed before you go?
Not at all. No, I, I, I roughly have the departure day and the direction like
south, northeast or maybe the road. And then I go with the weather with the road with the mood
with whatever, especially with this trip. You never know what happens. You never know what
happens in Turkey or in Iran, whether there's any conflicts or any, I wanted to go to Pakistan
or Afghanistan afterwards. Are there any landslides or whatever? So I tell myself,
well, planning doesn't really make sense. I'll just see when I get there all week before. And
I know it would drive many people crazy. But for me, it would be the other way around that would
be more energy consuming. You'd be stressed because you, you're committing to something or planning
something. Yeah. And it feels like wasted time planning for something that I don't know all
the parameters of. Wow, that is a good statement. Waste of time planning for something you don't
have the parameters or don't have all the information for that is so, so true, isn't it?
And we do that though, because for some reason, when we plan, we project forward, it's, we feel
some sort of security from it, even though everyone who travels, everyone who does anything in life
understands that rarely do your plans work out. And of course, the more you're outside of your
comfort zone, rarely do the plans work out the way you had planned it. Exactly. With luck, the
country will still be there. With luck, the road will still be there. It might just change. And
why, I mean, the time before I can really use for other stuff. And I guess lots of the frustration
of when people have to change their plans comes from they have made plans that now they have to
change. But why, yeah, I guess it's different personalities and not much use saying, oh,
this is better, this is worse. It's always interesting, of course, when travelers or
couples get together that totally contrary to each other. But then when you're good,
you can just take the best of both worlds, you know, just you ended up going to Iran with her.
That was part of the, actually, it was just along the way. And then we stayed longer.
Talk about getting into Iran with the dog.
I thought it would be so complicated because of Turkey already was an Islamic country, but
in Iran, everything is stricter. And I thought, well, I hope she gets in at all. And I hope I have
all the paperwork. I don't know whether people at the border were just scared or had other
things to do. No one cared. They looked at her from a distance. Many of them had good respect,
took photos with phones. But no one cared about her. No one wants to see any paper. No, nothing.
I have no idea why that happened. What about you going into Iran? Was there,
did you have any concerns or what did you expect? Oh, it was really exciting. I remember the night
before and I woke up really nervous because I mean, it was with Turkey and this going east was
really the first time I went to a Muslim country and a bit scared, a bit excited or that will I
be fine with this headscarf language? Of course, how will it work? And as an East German girl,
I have border issues as well. It's like every time we Eastern people, we rather expect that things
go wrong than that things go well, because it's just what we are used to. There's problems at
the border or we don't get in or we don't get out. I had a nice guy, Erfan. He offers fixer
services. I had contacted him on Instagram before and he led me and another biker through this process
and was very kind and had us stay in his house for the first two nights just to
accommodate or acclimatize to it. Yes, thank you. So that was really good. So I was really excited,
but it went very well. I guess it helped. I don't want to overstretch this poly being a nice and
beautiful dog. But I guess without her things would have been or would have happened with less
smiles and you know, children were really curious. They came up and wanted to pet her adults rather
not because in Islam, dogs are considered unclean. So they rather stayed away a bit.
But it was good, really friendly people. Of course, I had so much trouble with my headscarf.
It went down all the time. It wouldn't stick on my hair or on my head. And I asked those incredibly
elegant Iranian women, how do you do that? She said, well, we are used to it as of the age of nine.
It's just what it is. It just stays up.
But with them thinking that the dog is unclean, did you get any sort of sense of what they thought
of you traveling with a dog?
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I guess it would have been weirder to them if an Iranian or Muslim person would have traveled
with a dog because then there would have been a conflict of belief and the dog being there.
But Europeans, like being non-Islamic and not having this
belief of uncleanness, I think that match wasn't a problem to them. And many people,
they started off being curious from afar. Then they got closer, as I said, kids usually first.
And then sometimes even parents would come and most of them would end up standing next to their
kid, which was standing next to Polly for a photo. So close, but not too close. But some also,
like, went into their shop and got some chicken feet or anything else for Polly and gave it to
her. Absolutely lovely. Polly disappeared on you. Take me to that day that Polly disappeared.
Where were you and what happened? We were in our, what was it, six weeks of Iran.
And we had seen quite a bit. We came, had been to Shiraz and then
Persepolis and Yazd. So in the southern middle of Iran, I would say.
And I had realized that the days and especially the nights before she had changed,
well, we always try to make sense of what's happened. But I really think that
I felt that all this nature and being free and outside and so did something to her,
especially in full moon nights, usually she would come into the tent and spend the night there and
be happy to get out tomorrow. But no problem at all being in the tent. She wouldn't come in the tent
anymore. She would sleep outside when there was full moon and we had four of that.
She would just lay there and stare at it. I mean, I was like, I'm going to howl now or what's
what's going on. And she's loose. You leave her out loose. Yeah, all the time. Right. And she
normally would stick around no problem at all. Always, always. She had her radius,
normal radius of distance. Sometimes when she got out of sight, I knew she would come back or
when I would call, she would. So I was never worried. So coming from there, we had a long trip
through rather dry land. And I was told that there would be a caravan theory. I don't know
these places where the camels would rest and the merchants and yeah, in German, it's caravanserei.
So like a place that you mean like a market setup?
Well, it has a market as well. It has walls around it and merchants can spend the nights there.
They developed along the Silk Road where the camels after their long trips or day trips
would just rest and get water and food and all that. So I wanted to reach that one.
But all of a sudden the road disappeared. It became a road under construction,
so it hadn't been finished. And I wouldn't know where it led. And we spent the night
in a tunnel to go under that new road. Like a tunnel under construction?
Yeah, exactly. So what does the area look like that you're in right now?
All flat, sand, a few bushes really. Yeah, rolling hills would be too much a bit hilly, but
hardly any green. So that's why this caravanserei theory. No. So you cut out your way yourself?
180 kilometers between the two cities from which we came and to which we wanted to get.
So yeah, so we spent the night there. It was full moon. Again, she sat outside just staring
at the moon in the morning. She wasn't on the pillow next to me. I hadn't even put up the tent.
It was all in the tunnel outside. Yeah, and then we went on and it was a long straight
road. And all of a sudden there was a long stretch of gravel and out of stupid instinct,
I braked hard. She got out, which she could. She wasn't attached in the sidecar in order for
her to get out in case something happens. And I stopped and then she went back like 50 meters
and stopped and looked at me and then disappeared. Disappeared? Yeah, disappeared.
Like how? It was like a slide where the road went slightly, but it was a slight hill. So she
was on top of that road piece, looked down to me to that side and then disappeared on the other
side of that hill. And it was around somewhat around noon and I saw a little hut and I thought,
well, I better park the bike there and we will have lunch there because she would normally
come. She would always come. So when she jumps out, runs over to the hill and stops and looks at
this is sort of something that you're not that surprised about.
Not at that moment. I got a little frightened when she looked at me and looked away again.
I remember myself thinking, don't go. I don't know where that came from because normally she
wouldn't go and I don't want to start over dramatic, but I had that thought. But still,
knowing her, knowing us, I just, I parked that bike and when she wasn't there, then I thought,
oh my goodness, this dog's roaming around somewhere. I took a bottle of water and her
water pot and walked towards the place. It was like 400 meters. Well, I'd last seen her,
but she was nowhere to be seen, nowhere. Not with calling, not with nothing. And yeah,
what you are supposed to do when your dog roams around, you just stay where your flowers
been together. And that's what I did. And what were you feeling at that point?
I was starting to get worried because that was not like her. She never went away for long.
Plus there was no trees or anything that looked interesting to me. What I think a dog might
like. And I was wondering why I couldn't see her in this stretched out area.
Then after a while, I went back, got the bike, drove back to, yeah, I don't know, 20 kilometers.
No, first less than more. And I didn't see her. I didn't hear anything of her. There were hardly
any cars on the road. It was rather deserted. And so, yeah, I decided to spend the night at that hut
being really certain that when I wake up, she would be there because she can smell me. She
always comes back or that. And yeah, that didn't happen. And is it occupied by someone?
This hut? No, no, it's a really simple brick hut that serves as shelter for
like lorry drivers or there's a water system connected to a water reservoir if you're thirsty.
But it wasn't inhabited. There was a little fireplace. So anyone who wanted or needed rest
could just rest there. And so I ended up spending two weeks at the place.
Two weeks? Yeah. So you just stay there day after day, you eat, you wash, you live, and
wake your dog. And I go back to the place all the time and take the bike and go back and forth
and back and forth, leaving smell notes at where we were last together. And yeah. I am very close
of me, something so that the smell of me would like enhance. After a while, I even petered
the place hoping she would smell it. Yeah, but nothing had never. And once in a while,
some car would come by, most would drive past, some stopped and asked, left me some fruit or water.
One lorry driver came out with his teapot and made some tea, lots of sugar. It's perfect. Black tea
with sugar is like the best thing when you're in stress. And yeah. Are you able to communicate
with them what you're doing? Yeah, the good thing is Google translate. I mean, that thing is a blessing
otherwise. Did people seem surprised that you're sitting there waiting for your dog?
Yes, because a woman on her own is a surprise. A woman there on her own is a surprise. And
anyone waiting for a dog is a surprise because they do have dogs in Iran, of course, but it's
mostly street dogs in Tehran and the big cities. Some do have smaller dogs as pets,
but since it's forbidden, it's not a thing you see much. They keep them in hiding and take them
from walks at night. And they're small so that they can be easily hidden under the chador or in
the car. So it's a completely different world. But people are so nice. They ask for photos and
they share photos with them from my phone. And then from a small city like 30 kilometers
far, people would come and organize search troops and went out to look for Polly.
People came to help you look. Yeah, it was absolutely amazing. It was really absolutely amazing.
Wow. So these are people that came along, discovered you on the side of the road,
talked to you, get your story and they go and organize people to come back and search.
Yeah, that's some that happened. And some I met when I went into this place to get some
guests for my camping cooker. And they just asked me what I was doing here and I burst
ordentiers and I didn't really mean to bother everyone, but I just couldn't stop. And then
they say, oh, we know just the guy who is so good with dogs, he will find the dog. And that guy
then really came with friends and they looked for people and they looked for people. They looked
for Polly. Yeah. And yeah, after a while, he said to me, well, you can't stay here on the side
because word got around that you are here alone at night. It might be dangerous.
So he's warning you of that. He's saying if word gets around that you're here,
that could end up being dangerous. No, he said word got around that you are here because of
all these lorry drivers. And I mean, it's like the word of mouth in these countries is amazing.
So he said he would accommodate me in a guest house and I could then go from there and that was
horrible. Just horrible to leave the place closest to where she would go
if she came back and it felt like abandoning her for the first time.
So yeah, I went to that thing and drove out to the place every morning, came back every evening,
spent the days there doing my searching stuff.
Yeah. Then this Ashwin said, you are so sorry, but you have to leave the city.
Policemen are getting, they don't trust you. They don't trust what you are doing here.
No one would wait so long for a dog. They start thinking you are a spy.
Oh, wow. That changes things.
Yeah, it did because nothing was further from my mind and it was so absurd and everything.
At the same time, I know that Iran does this hostage policy, just grab anyone to get whatever
you want. So it didn't matter that I was not important at all.
But you can understand from their perspective how it does look strange. I mean, first of all,
they don't have the connection socially with dogs, a woman traveling alone, you're a foreigner,
and from their perspective, it would have to look very strange.
I thought that at that time. I believe that at that time. Now I think
if police really had thought that, they would have just taken me.
And it's so, I don't know, it was so entangled or the things that happened. And of course,
I don't really know. It's completely different society, region, motives of all the people.
Well, anyway, they said I had to leave the country, but second time, I felt like
leaving poorly. And yeah, what we had at the beginning, you know,
sorry, you jumped over that. So you had to leave the city, then they told you you had to leave
the country. Well, they told me I had to leave the city. And then I said, myself, okay, if I have
to leave the city, then I'll go to Isfahan and come back from there. I didn't want to leave poorly.
And I always had this picture of her coming back to the place and me not being there.
So I went to Isfahan, but I wasn't allowed in that city anymore. And I wasn't allowed in that
place anymore. So I went there at night.
You went there even though they told you not to. Did you get an official warning?
Were you risking something by going back at night?
Well, they never talked to me officially. And that's why I now think maybe that wasn't true.
But I don't know. I just don't know.
You're hearing it through other people that you're communicating with?
They said, Eva, you need to leave. Eva, I can't accommodate you here in this guest house anymore.
You have to go or I will be in trouble for this.
And when you say they, that's just this random person that took you in to begin with?
Yes, yes, yes, exactly. And of course, you don't want to bring anyone into trouble who had helped
you or anyone at all. Yeah, so then that was Isfahan. It's supposed to be a beautifully
Iranian city. I didn't see a thing. Stayed two weeks there and drove back at night.
Almost got caught by the police then. But luckily not at all. And by that time,
it was so weird. Many rescue organizations in Iran had heard about Polly and gave advice
over Instagram and came to that city looking for Polly and all sorts of things.
The rescue programs, is it for dog rescue? Is that what it is?
There was some, yeah, because there are some people who say, well, you know what,
Islam may say they are unclean, but Quran doesn't say anything about dogs being unclean,
or that dogs should not be taken care of. So they take care of street dogs and help them.
So there are many, many wonderful people in Iran taking care of dogs, not funded, of course.
And now in the situation these months, they are under great order in greatest distress.
So that would come as well. And then I mean, with motorcycle traveling, it's all about
connection, right? You know people who know people. And so I thought, well, now that I'm
sitting here in Isfahan, spending the nights in Varsane looking for Polly, I can also give
my motorbike for service. And I did. And then this guy, the motor, the garage guy said, well,
I have someone near Polly Place has a guest house and he's trustworthy and you can go there.
And I was like, okay, I'm going to do that. So I did that without notifying authorities.
And then got a lovely Instagram post that some dog organization wanted to come and look
for Polly with their search dogs, which of course would have been perfect.
And they only need a little thing of Polly so that their dogs know what's sent to look for.
So where could they come and get that? And I told them and never heard of them again,
but then police all of a sudden banged at the door. So that was not, it's such a mystery.
So you think that it could be connected? It could be then under the guise of they're
Yeah. So what did the police say when they come to your door?
Well, that that friend of the garage guy answered the door and said she's not here,
fortunately. So it's such a weird story. I know. Well, and then eventually my visa expired.
And I, I didn't dare to apply for a new one. And I, if all these things with police were true,
I sure wouldn't have gotten a new one on maybe would have gotten into more trouble.
So that was the third time of leaving her was leaving the country.
So you had to leave the country. What was that like? I mean, having to ride away.
Horrible. Absolutely horrible. I stayed as long as possible and then I had like 1500 kilometers
in a day, which is not fun on a solo bike, which is hell on the sidecar.
But I always felt like, oh, she will come back, back.
Yeah. And then I got out and the border was a stray dog that had so much resemblance with
Paulie. I was like, what's going on? But probably I was just going crazy.
Yeah. And then I took the first hotel I found on the Turkish side and stayed there and cried for days.
And you never, never found her and no one told you they found her?
No, no one. I'm still looking for her. I keep looking for the shelter postings in the region
and with Google picture search. And then I don't know what to think, you know,
as long as she's not in a shelter photographed, she might be out fine,
which I really wish for because that's what she is. But of course, with that war,
it doesn't feel good. I'd rather have her into some shelter, find a way to get her and then
think about her freedom again. So how has the experience changed you as a rider, as a traveler?
Well, had someone told me before that I would have these weeks of loss and fear
in a country like Iran where I hardly understand anyone without really emotional support from
friends and family because they are far away. I would have thought that I could make that.
I would have been really scared because I have a history of depression and I would have thought
that maybe that would be so much to take that I would fall ill again. And feeling that I haven't,
it's like, well, now I can survive anything. And it's also again, that thing that also travelers
know, there will be people who help you. Whatever the situation is,
there will be help. I mean, you had Ted Simon on your podcast, I love that man.
And in his troupe of travelers, there's that little episode where his bike is broken and
he just pushes it in the shade of a tree, sits down and says, I knew help would come.
What's going to happen? Looking forward to it, yeah.
Exactly, exactly. And that's what it is. And I'm still undecided.
But no, I'm not undecided. But if I had to choose, knowing what would happen,
would I go to Iran again? Or would I take the trip? No, of course not. But then again,
having seen that country, especially with the changing so much now, and yeah,
having seen some of the darker sides as well, that's something no one can take. But of course,
I'd rather have Polly. Sure. Visiting Iran, aside from losing Polly there,
which I know really sort of dampened, I mean, the impact is unmeasurable. But did it give
you a different view, like dealing with the people? Because by going through this,
you all of a sudden lose your traveler mentality, I think to some degree, you become very focused
on Polly and her missing. And I think we probably no doubt become vulnerable to people,
but also probably quicker to accept people's attention. And you certainly got integrated
more with people through this experience. Did that change the way you think of Iran or people,
or foreigners, or foreign countries? Well, it couldn't have made any opinion better because
it was good before of the Iranian people, of the encounters I had with them without Polly,
that they were so friendly. There were people who would stop me on the road just to give me
fruit out of their car. They are so incredibly nice. And I mean, what we sometimes have when we
travel to poorer countries, which of course most countries are, since we are so amazingly blessed,
this feeling of leaving and going back into the good world by these people
are left to struggle with their shit. And that's really that was difficult in Iran, because I
spent some more time with some students, talked to them about what was possible in their life,
what not, about their dreams. In my travels, I keep asking people about their biggest dream.
When we talk about our biggest dreams, it's just how much do we want to make them happen.
But with them, they don't have a choice. It just won't happen just because of the country they live
in. I think we're sort of brought up with the idea that dream what you want. There are no
borders. There are no limits, rather. But that's not the case for everyone. Yeah. And then sometimes
you hear this arrogant, well, it's your birthright to dream big. And I think, man, look at the other
side of the road. We can say that it's so easy for us. But if it's a birthright, then everyone,
Africa, Iran, whatever, would have that right. What would you say to someone who's considering
doing some sort of trip, doing something maybe on their own, pushing their comfort zone?
Do it. It's so flat. It's just the easiest thing to say and the most obvious thing to say. But
if you need advice, advice, ask people who have done it and don't listen to people who haven't.
Because these know the best, of course, the people who have stayed home, they know all about the
world. Now, of course, they don't. But they are the loudest. So they would say, this can happen,
this can happen, this can happen. But if you ask the people that have done what you want to do,
you, for one, see someone who has done it as possible and get advice, help, connections,
contacts, whatever. And you can always stop. I mean, you can always say, oh, no, that's not for me.
Eva, thank you so much. I've really enjoyed listening to your story and hearing some of your
travels. And thank you so much. It was really a pleasure and an honor. And thank you for your
wonderful and also perfect questions for this difficult topic. Thank you very much.
I was speaking with Eva Strele, a German motorcycle travel writer now living in the south of England.
Eva's books include Once Upon a Bike, Beyond the Highways, about her six month journey,
solo journey across the United States. And she's currently working on her story about Iran,
Once Upon a Bike in Iran. You can find Eva at eva-schela.com. That's S-T-R-E-H-L-E-R.com.
We've got the link along with some photographs from Eva's adventure, of course, in the show notes
for this episode, as we always do at our website, adventureriderradio.com.
This episode was brought to you in part by Green Chilli Adventure Gear at greenchilliadv.com,
best rest products at cyclepump.com. Anytime you're dealing with these companies or anything
you hear on Adventure Rider Radio, let them know you heard them here. And this show is built on a
model of advertising and Lister support. The combination of the two, we'd really appreciate
if you go to adventureriderradio.com and click on support.
Well, that about wraps up another episode of Adventure Rider Radio, and we sure hope you
enjoyed listening to it as much as we did making it. Special thanks to Elizabeth Martin,
our producer, and you. Thank you very much for being a part of it by listening to the show.
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I'm Ted Simon and here I am on Adventure Rider Radio again. I'm extremely happy to be here with Jim
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About this episode
Eva Streler shares how a rescue dog, Polly, led her to build a motorcycle sidecar and set off east with “only sort of a loose plan and a long horizon.” Her story connects a late start at 37, a six-month solo ride across the US, and the real-world logistics of traveling with a dog—planning loosely, adapting on the road, and leaning on strangers when things go wrong. The conversation also gets into sidecar handling changes, plus practical comfort and gear details.
Original notes
Eva Strehler had already learned what drew her to the road on a motorcycle: freedom, movement, and a way of living outside the usual shape of things. Then she built a sidecar for her dog, Polly, and headed east. What followed was meant to be another long motorcycle journey — through Turkey, into Iran, and across landscapes that changed as quickly as the people she met along the way. But somewhere during the trip, the journey became about something else entirely. This is a conversation about travel, companionship, risk, solitude, and the moments that quietly change the meaning of a journey while you’re still inside it.
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