On a Friday morning in Bodegraven, we pull up to Goedhart Motoren. I step through the entrance, and the scale of the place hits me right away. Motorcycles stretch out in every direction, lined up in neat rows. Yet, despite being one of the largest motorcycle stores in the Benelux, there’s no cold corporate vibe.

Even before our chat begins, i spot Joost’s father, Berry, walking across the shop floor. He’s shaking hands and sharing laughs with early visitors as they grab a warm cup of coffee. The sprawling showroom instantly feels more like a bustling local hangout.

I head up to the second floor to sit down with Joost. We settle in right between the twelve individual brand sections and the gear department across the way, giving us a clear view over the whole shop. Joost is now the driving force taking the family business into its next chapter as co-owner. We pull up a chair to hear how it all started.

From an Orange Zündapp Moped to Bodegraven
The story of Goedhart Motoren is one of hard work and steady growth. It all started years back with Joost’s father, Berry. He was crazy about mopeds, specifically water-cooled Zündapps (he had an orange one). Back then, he worked by day as a bicycle mechanic in Boskoop. By age eighteen, his sharp eye for trading kicked in. In the evenings and weekends, he bought, sold, and traded mopeds and spare parts out of rented garage boxes scattered across Bodegraven.

Motorcycles gradually took over from mopeds, and around age thirty, he quit his day job to start Goedhart Motoren full-time. Joost’s older sisters still recall the early chaos, with engine blocks and motorcycle frames spilling out into the living room and garden of their old house. Later on, the family moved into a house right beside a bigger shop. His father built his office directly between the house and the business. That made it very handy, as the kids could walk right through the door and find their dad on the shop floor.

Even as the business grew, that original passion never faded. Joost tells us that just last weekend, his father ran into an old buddy at a local Bodegraven moped meet whom he hadn’t seen in fifty years. They spent the afternoon reminiscing about the rides they took as teenagers. Growth came steadily from there. In 2001, they built completely new premises to house the expanding business. It was purpose-built specifically as a motorcycle shop, designed from the ground up for their exact needs.

Years later, when the former Ford dealership next door became available, they bought the property. They built a connecting section to link everything into the single, seamless building it is today.

The Business as a Passion
When I bring up my own passion for building custom cafe racers, Joost smiles, understanding the appeal, but explains his own drive works a bit differently. He loves motorcycles, and he often rides motocross out on the track to clear his head. Along with riding, his entrepreneurial drive runs just as deep.

Out of six kids, he was the only one who “caught the gasoline bug” and naturally stepped into the family business. For him, the thrill is twofold. He loves the machines and the riding culture. Yet running such a large operation and finding clever ways to grow is just as thrilling to him as twisting the throttle. He views the business itself as a dynamic machine. He’s constantly looking for ways to fine-tune it, expand their services, and keep Goedhart moving forward.

You can walk straight from a Kawasaki to a Ducati, or check out a KTM parked right next to it

Everything Under One Roof
Walking across the showroom floor, the smart layout immediately catches your eye. The entire space functions as one complete experience built clearly with riders in mind. They house twelve different motorcycle brands entirely under one roof. That’s a setup you rarely see anywhere else. You can walk straight from a Kawasaki to a Ducati, or check out a KTM parked right next to it, making comparing your next ride simple and direct.

The team also understands that every rider works with a different budget. That’s why they created a dedicated outlet shop right inside the building with its own entrance. Whether you want the newest gear collection or a sharp deal, they have everything.

Down in the Workshop
A major part of the daily operation takes place down in the workshop. The space is beautifully integrated into the whole building, designed to be smooth and efficient. Eighteen active lifts are sunk right into the concrete, leaving no awkward edges or steps to trip over. Mechanics are steadily wrenching, servicing, and prepping bikes for the road.

To make sure every job is done right, the workshop relies on true specialists. Instead of working on every bike that rolls in, mechanics focus on specific brands. A dedicated Ducati technician works exclusively on Ducatis, while another expert handles KTM. It’s a solid, steady crew down on the floor. While the average age is around twenty-seven, plenty of mechanics stick around for many years because it’s simply a good place to work.

Beyond the Showroom Floor
Down in the workshop, Joost kept hearing the same frustration from the mechanics: sourcing good original parts through outside suppliers was often a hassle. Instead of dealing with endless backorders and headaches, he decided to take matters into his own hands.“You often have twenty different portals for one single part,” Joost explains. “We wanted to bundle all of that together so mechanics and riders can find the exact component in seconds.”

About a year ago, they launched their OEM parts platform covering 15,000 models and around 900,000 components. Riders and mechanics can look up technical exploded-view drawings and order the exact bolt or bracket they need without guessing. To serve riders across Southern Europe faster, they even set up a physical warehouse in Spain under GHM Parts. For Joost, it’s just common sense: spotting where riders get stuck and creating a practical solution that takes the hassle out of it.

The Mega Motor Markt
Besides the regular routine on the shop floor, there’s one weekend Joost looks forward to every year: the Mega Motor Markt. What started years ago as a simple clearance sale with market stalls on the top floor has grown into a four-day festival. The latest edition just wrapped up, pulling in an estimated 20,000 visitors to close out the riding season. Running from Thursday through Sunday, the entire terrain filled up with bikes, food trucks, brand stands, and activities for kids.

Riders hunted down outlet bargains and deals on new gear, while two lucky visitors walked away with brand-new motorcycles from the raffle. It captures exactly what Berry started decades ago, combining sharp business deals with genuine motorcycle community spirit.

A big thank you to Joost for taking the time to chat with us. If you haven’t visited their Bodegraven store yet, it’s definitely a stop worth making on your next weekend ride.

Author: Arthur Renkema