Yamaha's Tenere has been the darling of the mid-capacity adventure bike market ever since its 2019 launch, and now Yamaha Europe looks to be expanding the platform with two new variants announced overnight.
There is a catch, however, as the Tenere 700 Extreme and Explore Editions are both currently noted as only being available in France, Italy and Germany. We've seen this same game played by Yamaha before with the brilliant blue Rally Edition also being a European-only affair.
So what are we missing out on?
Both bikes take the base Tenere 700 and build upon it for two very different purposes.
The Extreme Edition goes full send with a high-mount front fender, large titanium pegs, Yamaha's taller rally seat and the more sophisticated suspension from the Tenere 700 World Raid (due here in Q4, 2023).
The Explore Edition focuses on touring ability with a taller windscreen, lower seat height and revised suspension settings plus the addition of rear racks for panniers. But wait, that's not all! The Explore Edition also gets a quickshifter, which should hopefully mean this will become a factory option for T7 owners wanting to kit up their bike's performance.
Both new Editions also sport the TFT dash from the World Raid model, which probably means they will also sport the same level of electronics as well.
With demand for Tenere 700s still outstripping supply in most markets and Yamaha Motor NZ confirming the bikes are currently a Euro-only affair, we'd put our chances down as pretty slim that they'll make their way to our shores.
But that's never stopped a crafty Kiwi with a dream now, has it?