Joey Bex and his Malaguti Sportivo 50

Hi, I’m Joey Bex from Hasselt (Belgium) and my ultimate passion is vintage mopeds. Most people ask me the same question: where does your knowledge and passion come from? This photo explains it…

When I was just seven months old, my father put me on his moped. Right then I felt a spark. Other children learned to ride a bicycle when they were three years old, but me? I was already riding a small, two-stroke powered bike. Ever since then I’ve been working on them with my dad.

Our shared passion is to restore old motorcycles and keep them on the road. But it’s not about the money. There’s nothing like cruising on a hot summer evening with an old two stroke engine. It’s just indescribable. That feeling is the reason we are busy repairing and restoring these oldies. Most Italian bikes are bought on vacation when the design catches your eye – the lines, colours, decals and sound. Every bike has its own unique personality.

One of my favourite models is the Malaguti Sportivo 50. It’s an early 60s import to Belgium that ended up at our workshop. It came with a bad cylinder, crankshaft and rust everywhere, but it had a good engine. So after two days of blood, sweat and tears, I got the chrome looking brand new with the help of steel wool and aching fingers. Once the carburettor was cleaned and piston rings renewed, it was up and running as if it had first left the factory. We always let a bike keep its character, or ‘patina’ as they call it nowadays. There’s only one like it.

Follow Joey on Instagram: www.instagram.com/oldskool.joey