Just because we’re well past May 4, 2022 doesn’t mean the Force can’t still be with you, particularly if you’re Yamaha Brazil. This is the 2022 Yamaha XMAX Darth Vader limited edition scooter that the company just introduced. The OEM has been telling us for years that its MT naked line represents “the dark side of Japan.” Now, with the XMAX Darth Vader Edition, the extremely fitting tagline is “O lado sombrio da sua garagem,” or “The dark side of your garage.”
As you’re probably expecting, the Darth Vader Edition is an appearance package, and as far as we can tell, doesn’t appear to have any interstellar travel capabilities. The colorway is, of course, a nice, metallic black shade that Yamaha calls Midnight Black. It’s accented with red and silver graphics that keep the ominousness dialed up well above a mere phantom level of menace. If you recall, Yamaha Brazil introduced special-edition 2021 NMAX X-Wing and TIE Fighter liveries last year.
The 2022 Yamaha XMAX sold in Brazil is powered by a liquid-cooled, 250cc, single overhead cam, single-cylinder engine with bore and stroke of 70 mm x 64.9 mm. It makes a claimed 22.8 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and approximately 18 pound-feet of torque at 5,500 rpm. (It’s worth noting here that the XMAX sold in the U.S. gets a slightly higher displacement, 292cc engine with slightly different specs.)
Gallery: 2022 Yamaha XMAX Darth Vader Limited Edition
The XMAX is a twist-and-go scooter, like most modern scooters in 2022, shifting gears with a belt-driven CVT. It rolls on a 15-inch wheel up front and a 14-inch wheel in the rear, both shod in Dunlop rubber. Net weight of the 2022 XMAX is 179 kilograms, or about 394.6 pounds.
Features include the design, of course—which Yamaha is quick to point out won a Red Dot Design Award. Well, to be completely fair, the regular XMAX did—not specifically the Darth Vader Edition. Still, if you were a judge on that panel, would you want such a powerful Sith Lord a prestigious design award? We’d guess not.
LED lighting and ABS come standard, as does capacious space under the seat, where you can store things like your jacket, helmet, or even a lightsaber, according to Yamaha (no, really). The 2022 Yamaha XMAX Darth Vader Edition is limited to just 200 units, sold in Brazil. The MSRP is R$ 28,590, which works out to about $6,033.
