When it comes to the Yamaha Tenere 700, the Europeans get all the fun stuff long before North America or the rest of the world. That held true today as the new Yamaha Tenere 700 Extreme and Tenere 700 Explore variants were unveiled in France.

The key to these bikes’ intended usage is obvious from their names. The Tenere 700 Extreme is inspired by the World Raid variant that Yamaha’s been flogging around the rally circuit. The Extreme comes with a set of fully-adjustable KYB suspension, with 230 mm of travel up front and 220 mm of travel in rear. That’s a 20 mm increase over the base model, and with 260 mm of ground clearance to boot, this bike is made to handle rough terrain, as the name implies. Alas, the sky-high suspension results in an equally sky-high saddle, at almost 36 inches climb to the one-piece seat (upgraded, with more padding over the standard T7).

Yamaha also bolted some other off-road parts to this bike, including grippy titanium footpegs, a high-mount front fender, and aluminum chain guide and rad guard. There’s also a new 5-inch TFT gauge.

On to the Explore variant! This is a travel-oriented bike, with a larger windscreen and quickshifter fitted as standard (for when you want to hoon through the twisties). Just as the Extreme sees the suspension jacked up, the Explore sees 20 mm subtracted front and rear, making the seat height a much more manageable 33.8 inches. There’s still 190 mm of travel up front and 180 mm in the rear, so it’s not like you’re buying a tail-dragging, sacked-out machine, but you also can’t expect the same performance as the Extreme. Hard side bags are also optional for the Explore.

Aside from the changes to suspension, bodywork and other bolt-on bits, these bikes are basically the same as the standard T7 model; same engine, same frame, and so on. Euro pricing is €11,799 for the Explore and €11,899 for the Extreme, but for most readers, it doesn’t matter—Yamaha Motor Europe unveiled these bikes at a French event, and they’re almost certainly going to be made in the EU for that market. Maybe we shall see them here someday, or maybe the bolt-up bits will become available through the aftermarket, but don’t expect your local dealership to have this bike in stock in coming months. If it ever does come to the US, Canada or Australia, you’re almost certainly in for a wait.