Ride 6 Beginner’s Guide: The Best Bikes And Tips To Stay Upright
The asphalt tastes terrible, so stop kissing it.
Most racing games want you to feel like a god, drifting around corners at 200 mph while sipping a latte. Ride 6 is not interested in your ego. It wants to hurt you. It wants to introduce your face to the tarmac and laugh while you ragdoll into a tire wall. I spent my first three hours in this game convinced the physics engine was broken, only to realize I was just driving like an idiot. This isn't Mario Kart, and if you treat it like an arcade racer, you are going to spend a lot of time looking at the sky.
The School of Hard Knocks
Before you even think about buying a shiny Ducati and embarrassing yourself, you need to go to school. I know, nobody buys a video game to attend a lecture, but the Bridgestone Riding School is the only reason I can now complete a lap without dying.
Actually Do The Tutorials
Most tutorials are trash that treat you like a toddler, but the ones here are legitimate technical breakdowns. They don't just tell you "press A to go." They explain the difference between a bagger and a sportbike, and why your body weight matters. If you skip this to jump straight into Career Mode, you deserve the frustration coming your way.
The Art of The Rewind
There is a weird stigma about using the "Rewind" feature in racing games, like it makes you less of a "real" gamer. Screw that. Use it. abuse it. When you blow a corner, and you will blow many corners, hit rewind and watch exactly where things went wrong. Look at where you started braking. Was it at the shadow of the tree? The 100m board? Rewind, pick a marker ten feet earlier, and try again. It is the only way you learn without restarting the race fifty times.
Physics Will Kill You
The game has a "Pro" physics setting and an "Arcade" one, but eventually, you want to master the real deal. The problem is that real motorcycles are terrifyingly unstable machines that want to fall over.
Stop Mashing The Front Brake
In a car, you slam the brakes and the car stops. On a bike in Ride 6, if you slam the front brake, the weight transfers forward, the rear wheel lifts off the ground, and you lose all ability to turn. If you are trying to turn while squeezing the brake lever with the grip of a gorilla, the front tire fights you. It wants to go straight or tuck under. You have to brake hard in a straight line, then gently ease off as you tip the bike into the corner. If you hold it too long, you crash.
Use Your Ass (Weight Distribution)
Your rider isn't just a cosmetic doll glued to the seat. Their mass affects the bike. When you hit those brakes hard, the bike wants to do a "stoppie" (flip forward). You need to manually shift your rider's weight backward. Pull down on the left stick. It keeps the rear tire planted on the asphalt. It sounds tedious, but it is the difference between stopping in time and flying over the handlebars.
The Rear Brake Is A Rudder
I used to ignore the rear brake entirely. That was a mistake. The front brake stops you, but the rear brake steers you. If you are mid-corner and realize you are running a little wide, do not touch the front brake or you will stand the bike up. Tap the rear brake instead. It tightens your turning radius like a rudder on a boat. Just don't hold it down or you'll lock the rear wheel and slide out.
The Best Bikes For Beginners
You start this game with empty pockets and zero reputation, so you need a machine that is cheap and forgiving. Do not buy a liter bike. You are not ready.
Electronic Babysitters
You might be tempted to turn off all the electronic assists because you want to feel like a MotoGP legend. Don't do it. The electronics are there to save you from yourself.
TCS (Traction Control System)
This stops the rear wheel from spinning when you mash the throttle on a corner exit. If you turn this off and get greedy with the gas, the back end will slide out and you will high-side. Keep it on "low" or "medium" so you can accelerate without thinking too hard.
AW (Anti-Wheelie)
This does exactly what it says on the tin. It stops the front wheel from lifting up when you accelerate hard. Wheelies look cool on Instagram, but in a race, they just mean you can't steer. Keep this on until you learn throttle control.
ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System)
This is the controversial one. ABS stops your wheels from locking up under heavy braking. It is a safety net. The downside is that it usually increases your braking distance. If you leave it on "high," you might find yourself sailing past a corner because the bike refused to stop fast enough. Set it to "Sport" or "Low" so you have some control but won't lock up instantly.
Final Thoughts For The Gravel-Eaters(TLDR)
If you are still struggling, go to the Used Bike Shop. You don't always need a factory-fresh machine. You can pick up a used beast for cheap and spend the extra credits on upgrading the brakes and tires.
Also, ignore the braking markers the game gives you. They lie. The colored line on the track that turns red when you need to brake? It is usually too late. If you wait for the line to turn red, you are already crashing. Pick a spot on the track before the line turns red and start squeezing that trigger. It is better to brake too early and look slow than to brake too late and look like a pinball.
