1957 Beta 125
The history of this bike is very rich indeed! But firstly a brief mention of Beta’s history. The company was founded in 1904 by Giuseppe Bianchi (the Beta name came from the initials of the two men who ran the company, Enzo Bianchi & Arrigo Tosi) but only produced bicycles up until the late 1940s.
In 1948 a simple 2-stroke 48 cc motor was added to a bicycle – the Cervo 48. A proper motorcycle, the Cigno, soon followed.
A wide range of 2-stroke road bikes followed until the 1970s when off road machines (for which the company is now well known) were introduced. Lapo Bianchi, the founder’s great grandson, currently runs the company.
Now to the bike I photographed in 2014.
This 1957 Beta 125 machine was bought new in Sicily and registered under the name of 14-year-old Vito (who inscribed the date 1/11/57 with a hammer and chisel on the LH engine cover).
It was used to transport produce from the family’s remote farm (milk collected from the local shepherds etc) to Palermo. Something faster than a bicycle was required due to bandits waylaying deliveries!
Vito later used it to get him to school. It was then passed down to his younger brother, then to his father who used it up until 1995.
In 2014, after years in storage, Vito had the bike restored then imported it to Australia, where he had emigrated as a young man.
The couple of period photos show a young Vito with the bike and it in front of the family farm building (no power or water, earthen floors) shared with two other families plus the shepherds.
After hearing of Vito’s history with the bike I drove away from the shoot with a definite warm feeling in my heart.
