Royal Enfield custom is named Hearts-a-Bustin'

The motorcycle show was the first time Grace got to sit on her custom Enfield.

Inspired by the Royal Enfield "Badger" racer, Grace Stoeckle's custom Royal Enfield, Hearts-a-Bustin', made its debut at the International Motorcycle Show in New York last month. Hearts-a-Bustin' was custom built by Leon Stanley at Cycle Icons in Trenton, N.J., where the Badger was created.

The pictures shown here are from Grace's Flickr album, reprinted with her permission. I asked Grace to describe what inspired her to commission Hearts-a-Bustin'. She replied:

"I was in the market for a bike in 2008-2009 and was just kind of watching the magazines to see what caught my eye. I had never heard of Royal Enfield when I saw a review of the new C5. I knew I wanted one right away. I looked for a dealer and found Cycle Icons. I ended up buying the G5 Classic instead.

Is it sweet or sassy? It has plenty of attitude.

"Cycle Icons has since stopped dealing bikes and transformed into a sort hot rod shop for lots of bikes but specializing in Enfields. Leon Stanley is the owner. This past summer he transformed a bike like mine into "The Badger," a race bike. I loved what he had done so much I asked him if he would want to customize my bike. Then we just started talking about our plan.

"Hearts-a-Bustin' was my inspiration because it's a Billy Joe Shaver song that I love. The song's lyrics explain that Hearts-a-Bustin' is a flower, but of course the song is also about heartbreak which I can relate to, as most of us can. Plus, I knew my bike would be breaking hearts everywhere it went! So the name stuck.

Elegant typeface from long ago.

"I found a picture online of a really old Enfield spare parts catalog, and the way the logo was scripted was so elegant that I had it painted on my tank once it was stripped down to bare metal. (That's the original G5 tank).

"I'm a warm-weather, recreational rider, not a hardcore 10,000-miles-a-year rider. I like to spend a warm afternoon riding on twisty roads and lean in nice, but I am not an aggressive rider. I feel really in sync with the Enfield, like I have never felt with any bike and so riding it is very zen. I hate getting off for the day. I mostly ride with a group (Brit Bikes and Euro Cycles) that's based in the Philadelphia area where I live.

Black rear shock seems to balance black headlight bucket.

"This group is full of fantastic, sweet, bike nerds who aren't prejudiced against any style of bike or bike enthusiast. We always have great rides. There are plenty of women in this group too.

"I live just outside of Philadelphia. I've been riding since I was 18. By day I'm a Web Information Architect, architecting websites for an agency based in Indianapolis."

Grace's custom was displayed at the Royal Enfield stand at the motorcycle show, where it drew plenty of attention. Despite the Do Not Touch sign, "everyone touched it," she reports.

Instrument panel presents a sense of authority.

She has a blog of her own, One Girl, One Dog, One Cylinder,  which details her feelings about Royal Enfields. I particularly enjoyed her item "A Motorcycle Engine Is an Engine That Powers a Motorcycle."

As for Hearts-a-Bustin', there will have to be an update article.

"The tank is not done yet," Grace wrote. "I am commissioning artwork for the left side, and it will relate to the Hearts-a-Bustin' name. We put the logo on both sides so it looked done for the New York City show."

Grace and Royal Enfield USA president Kevin Mahoney admire the tank.