Written by Martin Hodgson
It’s long been said that travel broadens the mind and there is nothing like a trip to the Sahara desert to teach a great many lessons. It was there a few years ago amongst the enormous and unforgiving sand dunes that custom bike builder Boy Janssen found a new respect for the humble Yamaha XT. But back home in the Netherlands, he discovered they could be tuned to be just as good on the street and he’s been turning them out for clients ever since. Now the head honcho of Pancake Customs serves up a two-piece combo with matching Yamaha XT600e Desert Sleds that make the perfect pigeon pair.

It was five years ago that Boy was in Africa with an XT, ?I built it to bring along to the ‘Morocco Desert Challenge’, where we participated in the car class. I brought the XT to have some fun while we weren’t wrenching or racing,? he explains. Having proven its ability in the harsh North African conditions, Boy was keen to build an XT for the Dutch streets that didn’t compromise on the bikes ability to perform in the sand. It was an instant success and ever since he’s been commissioned to turn a bunch of Yamaha’s big singles into customs for clients.
Having moved his workshop from the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam to the small town of Rheden, Boy had more room than he knew what to do with and it gave him an idea. ?I wanted to build 2 similar bikes for some time, because 2 similar custom bikes look grea...