In Florence in 1904 Enzo Bianchi and Arrigo Tosi founded the Societa Giuseppe Bianchi, specialising in building handmade bicycles. It wasn’t until some 40 years later that the company switched to motorcycle production by simply attaching an engine with a roller transmission to one of its bicycles, resulting in the first motorbike produced by the Tuscan firm. The two men joined their initials to form the brand name BETA and the company’s bikes have been sold under this name ever since.
