Rugged Royal Enfield "The Badger" rides again in film

"Made in Trenton" marks this Royal Enfield Bullet as a tough underdog.

The idea was to enter three different kinds of races, using the same Royal Enfield Bullet — and do it all inside one month.

It was such a crazy idea they made a film about it.

"The Badger — Made in Trenton" debuts on Vimeo on Demand Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. Here's the pitch:

"Can builder Leon Stanley and Team Badger Corse’s cadre of riders take an unlikely Royal Enfield... and hit the track as a road racer, then chase four land speed records and finally go flat tracking, all on the same bike, all in one month?"

The Badger at speed.

The only question they're answering is that whatever happened, it made a pretty good film. An unfinished cut of "The Badger — Made in Trenton" was shown at the 2014 Motorcycle Film Festival in New York City and took the Audience Choice Award.

Why is the fact that Stanley and team were based in Trenton important?

Trenton is a once great industrial center and the capital of the state of New Jersey, neither much of a claim to fame in the United States. So "Made in Trenton" is a thumb-in-your-eye show of gumption in the face of adversity.

Racing a Royal Enfield Bullet is a suitably defiant act.

"It's like a motorcycle," one competitor says of Stanley's Badger. "Only slower."

I've seen the finished film. To my surprise it's not the motorcycle that stars. It's Leon Stanley. Half way through the hour long film you find yourself rooting for him. He's determined, but likable.

"Here's the $64,000 question," he tells one rider: "Was it at least fun?"

Film maker Drue Pennella has produced a beautifully photographed movie. You can watch the trailer now. It will whet your appetite.

The Badger: Made in Trenton from Pure Motion Pictures on Vimeo.