I recently went back in time a few years to try out the MotoGP 21 game, since it was on sale for next to nothing on the PS store. And I have to say I’m glad I did, as in my opinion it’s got by far the best handling out of the 21/22/23 games, once I got used to it.

But the “once I got used to it” bit is important here, as I found the handling annoying when I first played the game. It’s the braking that can feel tricky at first, but there’s a specific way to brake that once you get used to it, makes the game much easier and more fun (I’ve done a separate guide on this).

And another thing that will make the game easier is having a good stable setup that makes it easier to corner more consistently lap after lap. And in this quick guide I’ve got a couple of baseline configurations that might help you get used to the game a bit more easily.

As all these MotoGP games are on the harder side in terms of general handling, my priority is on stability and ease of handling rather than outright speed. Let’s get started.

GP Baseline #1 (Easiest To Control)

This is my go-to setup that I use on most tracks in the game, no contest the easiest one to control consistently for me.

Here it is:

• Front Swingarm:
  • • Front pre-load – 0
    • Oil Quantity – 0
    • Front Spring Hardness – 0
    • Front Swingarm Compression – 0
    • Front Swingarm Extension – 8
• Rear Single Shock Absorber:
  • • Rear Pre-load – 8
    • Swingarm Connector – 0
    • Rear Spring Hardness – 8
    • Single Shock Absorber Compression – 8
    • Single Shock Absorber Extension – 8
• Vehicle Geometry:
  • • Steering Head Inclination – 8
    • Trail – 8
    • Steering Plate Position -4
    • Rear Swingarm Length – 4
• Transmission:
  • • Gears (1-6) – 8-8-8-6-6-4
    • Final Ratio – 5
    • Slipper Clutch – 5
• Brakes:
  • • Front disc – 340 mm High Mass
    • Rear disc – 220 mm
• ECU:
  • • Traction Control – 5
    • Engine Braking – 5
    • Anti-wheelie – 5
    • Power Mapping – 2

The leaning characteristics (the speed at which the bike tips over and then straightens back up again) is just right for me, even though the parameters of the setup are a bit weird. Try it out and see how you go with it. The ECU settings are also set for ease of control and to keep the bike stable; you can lower some of these values if you want to go more aggressive with the setup.

GP Baseline #2 (Bit More Advanced)

Here’s another setup that did seem to work better than the first one for me at a handful of tracks, but it’s usually not my go-to setup. Try it out though and see what you think, as everyone’s preferences are different regarding leaning characteristics and general stability.

• Front Swingarm:
  • • Front pre-load – 6
    • Oil Quantity – 4
    • Front Spring Hardness – 4
    • Front Swingarm Compression – 4
    • Front Swingarm Extension – 4
• Rear Single Shock Absorber:
  • • Rear Pre-load – 6
    • Swingarm Connector – 4
    • Rear Spring Hardness – 4
    • Single Shock Absorber Compression – 4
    • Single Shock Absorber Extension – 4
• Vehicle Geometry:
  • • Steering Head Inclination – 2
    • Trail – 2
    • Steering Plate Position – 2
    • Rear Swingarm Length – 2
• Transmission:
  • • Gears (1-6) – 8-8-8-6-6-4
    • Final Ratio – 6
    • Slipper Clutch – 5
• Brakes:
  • • Front disc – 340 mm High Mass
    • Rear disc – 220 mm
• ECU:
  • • Traction Control – 5
    • Engine Braking – 5
    • Anti-wheelie – 5
    • Power Mapping – 2

The suspension settings are generally what contributes the most to the general handling and “feel” of the bike. So play around with this if you’re wanting significantly change the handling

GP Baseline #3 (More Sluggish)

Here’s another variation on the second setup that’s quite sluggish in terms of leaning characteristics, but can work for some players on some tracks if you want something that’s going to lean into corners more gradually, and return to upright more gradually as well.

• Front Swingarm:
  • • Front pre-load – 1
    • Oil Quantity – 2
    • Front Spring Hardness – 2
    • Front Swingarm Compression – 2
    • Front Swingarm Extension – 2
• Rear Single Shock Absorber:
  • • Rear Pre-load – 1
    • Swingarm Connector – 2
    • Rear Spring Hardness – 2
    • Single Shock Absorber Compression – 2
    • Single Shock Absorber Extension – 2
• Vehicle Geometry:
  • • Steering Head Inclination – 4
    • Trail – 4
    • Steering Plate Position – 4
    • Rear Swingarm Length – 4
• Transmission:
  • • Gears (1-6) – 8-8-8-6-6-4
    • Final Ratio – 6
    • Slipper Clutch – 4
• Brakes:
  • • Front disc – 340 mm High Mass
    • Rear disc – 200 mm
• ECU:
  • • Traction Control – 5
    • Engine Braking – 5
    • Anti-wheelie – 5
    • Power Mapping – 2

Moto2 Baseline

For the slower and easier to control Moto2 bikes, I’d recommend just porting over your favourite MotoGP setup, since all or almost all of the parameters are exactly the same (depending on your assists level, some ECU settings may be missing).. Test out which GP setup you prefer best, and then port it right over to the Moto2 bikes and save that as a template.

So for me, I’d just use the Setup #1 above on Moto2 bikes as well – the settings transfer over 1 to 1. The only different thing is the brake discs which are slightly different sizes, but I just use the largest disc front and rear (for the Moto2 bikes, this is 11 inch front and 8 inch rear disc). Other than that, it’s exactly the same.

If you want to go into really granular detail with the Moto2 and other class setups, check out this guy’s channel. He’s done customized Moto2 setups for some tracks on this game. But honestly I don’t need to go that far; I just port on one of the templates I like from above and I’m good to go.

Moto3 Baseline

For the even slower Moto3 bikes, again I’d recommend doing the same thing – just port over your preferred GP or Moto2 setup. Again, the settings match almost 1 to 1. It’s just that with Moto3 bikes, there aren’t any brake disc settings as these are identical for all bikes, so you don’t need to worry about that setting.

Basically, once you find a GP template setup you like, it’s usually possible to move through an entire career using that setup on all bike classes. You can go into more detail on setups for the lower classes if you like to try and find more time, but for me I reach a point where I just want to bolt on a usable setup and just start playing. Hopefully this guide has helped you do that.

Best GP Setup For Each Track (My Preference)

Let’s go into a bit more detail about which setup I’ve preferred to use on which track, at least for circuits I’ve raced on so far in various game modes. It’ll be different for every player, but here’s my preference at least.

• Most tracks – Baseline #1 is my clear favourite to use, except for the tracks below:
• Le Mans – Setup #2 seemed to work best for me.
• Catalunya – Setup #1 or #2 seemed to work well and very close.
• Austria – Setup #1 and #3 were very close, but in the end got very good results using #3.