Joker Cycle Works Gypsy Rose 1975 Harley Shovelhead Chopper
Joker Cycle Works made the first vehicle I’ve ever seen that was named after a stripper. It’s usually the other way around. In the world of stage names, “Lexus” and “Porsche” are as common as “John” and “Dave” in real life. I mean, so I’m told. Also, the term stripper is watering things down a bit. Gypsy Rose Lee was not only a burlesque dancer in the 1930s, she knew how to work the crowd, putting the “tease” in striptease with humor and a sense of showmanship. She was also an author and a playwright.
Like the Gypsy Rose of stage and screen, this chopper is a high-class sexy thang. Bowers Paint even zapped its skins in a pigment named Too Sexy Red. Based around a ’75 Shovelhead powerplant rebuilt by Scott Church, it’s a minimalist motorcycle that mates a Sportster fork to a Paughco chopper chassis. While it packs its share of style, it doesn’t pack so much flavor as to overshadow rideability. Both the 21-inch front hoop and its 19-inch rear counterpart are shod in grippy, modern Pirelli rubber. That brake at the rear is also of the caliper-and-rotor variety and not your classic drum setup. Why, it’s almost as if this chopper was meant to be entertaining and not just a pretty face. Much like Gypsy Rose Lee herself.