Popular music biopics have earned a poor reputation for accuracy over the years. However, A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan in a movie that tells the story of his emergence as a folk music star in the mid-1960s, has escaped that sort of criticism. We’d like to think that the inclusion of a 1964 Triumph Bonneville T100 improved the movie’s credibility.
“In A Complete Unknown, the Bonneville T100 is more than just a piece of period detail,” Triumph Chief Commercial Officer Paul Stroud noted. “It is a reflection of the era’s bold energy and creative exploration. Its sleek design and cultural significance make it a seamless addition to the film’s recreation of 1960s Greenwich Village, amplifying the authenticity of Dylan’s world.”
While the 1964 Triumph Bonneville T100 is arguably more stylish than the current edition 60 years later, the mechanical improvements are undeniable.
The ’64 T100 was an air-cooled pushrod parallel twin with two valves per cylinder and a displacement of 490cc. The current Triumph Bonneville T100 is a liquid-cooled SOHC parallel twin with four valves per cylinder and displaces 899cc. While the old T100 put out 34 horsepower at 7000 rpm, the new version is good for 64 horsepower at 7400 rpm, and a four-speed transmission has been upgraded to a five-speed. The 1964’s drum brakes have been replaced by a disc brake on each wheel. The 1964 T100 has a 93-pound dry weight advantage—375 vs. 468 pounds.
A Complete Unknown ends before the most unfortunate moment in Dylan’s motorcycle riding career. He crashed his T100 on July 29, 1966, near his Woodstock, NY, home. The cause of the fall and the injuries sustained by Dylan have been shrouded in secrecy. Following his recovery, Dylan worked with The Hawks in the Fall of 1967 in a West Saugerties, NY, home known as Big Pink. The music recorded there had a bootleg release as The Great White Wonder in July 1969, and officially as The Basement Tapes in 1975 and The Basement Tapes Complete in 2014. Fortunately, the motorcycle didn’t end Dylan’s motorcycle riding career and he has continued to ride into the 2000s.
