Every fuel-economy figure in our articles carries the same caveat: manufacturer test values. Here is what that actually means - including a case where Honda openly flags a change in methodology.
The test-cycle basis
Manufacturer fuel economy is measured on a standardised repeatable cycle - the bike runs a defined speed profile under defined conditions so that a Wave Alpha’s 1.72 L/100 km can be compared with a Future’s 1.47 on like-for-like terms. It is a laboratory comparison tool, not a promise: real Hanoi riding adds passengers, heat, idling in gridlock, aggressive throttle and hills, and economy drops accordingly.
The Winner R case: a methodology flag in the wild
Honda’s Winner R page publishes 2.59 L/100 km by the UDC method and openly notes a change from a prior figure of 1.98 L/100 km under the previous method. This is the cleanest illustration in the Vietnamese market of why you should never compare figures across methods: the engine did not suddenly become 30 percent thirstier; the yardstick changed. UDC (Urban Drive Cycle) is a city-biased profile, which is why a 150 cc sport bike posts a figure this close to city bikes.
How to use the numbers
Compare like with like: all the figures we publish are manufacturer-claimed values retrieved on the same date (23 September 2026), and are best read as a ranking, not an operating cost. Then adjust: our fuel-economy-figures explainer translates the rankings into real-world expectations, and the riding-habits guide covers what actually moves your number - throttle discipline beats model choice by a wide margin.