Ben Norton builds custom motorcycles under the moniker 10 ’til 12, because those are the nighttime hours he dedicates to his hobby. During the day, he’s a designer at a works Formula 1 team. Which explains why his supercharged BMW R100RT is so damn mental.
Born and raised in Zimbabwe in southern Africa, Ben now lives in Oxfordshire, UK, where he wrenches out of a single home garage. He’s spent enough time in F1 to know how to make clever choices in manufacturing and materials, and what to outsource. He also has enough equipment in his home workshop to handle most things?but jobs like CNC machining, upholstery, paint and coating are all farmed out.

It’s hard to believe, but this BMW is only Ben?s second build. The first was an R80RT café racer, which he started at the same time as a friend who had a Ducati Monster project. Ben finished his first, so decided to rub salt in the wound by kicking off a second build?an R100. ?As a dare, the same friend suggested I should add a supercharger in an attempt to slow me down and buy some time for him to finish his project,? Ben jokes. ?I enjoy a challenge, and the R80 cafe racer build was over too easily!?

Aiming for an aggressive street tracker style, Ben nicknamed the project the R107K. The 107 references the 1,070 cc Siebenrock kit he’s dropped into the motor, and the ‘K’ stands for Kompressor?the usual German designation for supercharged vehicles.
To call Ben’s work on the 199...