Riding Spirits

Contents

• Preliminary Note
• Quirks and Features
• The Bikes
  • Bike List
  • Bike Colors
  • Making New Bikes Available At The Shop
• The Events
  • Track List
  • Riding Spirits > Race Events
  • Unlocking Race Series
  • "Money Makers"
  • Recommended Bikes
  • Time Attack Events
  • Events And Bonuses
• Gameplay
  • Getting Started In Riding Spirits Mode
  • More Notes On Riding Spirits Mode
  • Status
• Miscellaneous Notes
• Special Thanks

• Before going into Riding Spirits mode, go to Options and set Control to Arcade. The default setting is Simulation but, as far as I can tell, it doesn't make the handling of the bikes feel any more "real"; it just makes it easier to crash.
• The first time you enter Riding Spirits mode, you'll get to choose a free bike (see the bikes marked 'F' in the Acquire column of the Bike List). Choose either the RGV-r250SP or TZR250SPR.
• Besides a free bike, you'll also get an initial 100,000 points. Go to Shop > Parts > Engine System and buy a 4-1 muffler. This will use up all of your points but gives you an instant power boost.
• Exit the Parts Shop and go to Race > Class C > Beginner. Do the Welcome race (Oval Course). The muffler upgrade gives you an easy win here.
• Go back to the Parts Shop, go to the Driving System section, and buy a Sprocket/Setting kit; this will allow you to set the Final Gear Ratio setting.
• At this stage, it's probably a good idea to learn some of the tracks before starting your first normal (non-Oval) race. There are several ways to learn tracks, but the easiest in Riding Spirits mode is probably Garage > Test Run > Free Run (scroll left/right to choose a track).
• For the rest, it basically boils down to practice, practice, and more practice. Above all, be patient and don't let the quirky tracks or the AI riders get on your nerves. Keep it fun!

• If you want to avoid duplicate bikes (same bike in the same color), start Riding Spirits mode with the blue RGV-r250SP since you can get the red one as a Bonus bike later on. The Yamaha TZR250SPR is also a Bonus in another race. See the Acquire column of the Bike List for the exact races. Also, if you buy a bike from the Shop that can also be won as a Bonus, choose a color that isn't at the top of the color list since Bonus bikes will usually be in that color.
• If you don't want to spend a lot of points upgrading bikes that won't get used much, the most effective cheap upgrades are: Computer/Electrical Stage 2, Reinforced Clutch, Sprocket/Setting kit, Soft Racing Tires, Weight Reduction Stage 1, and Shifter.
• The Bore Up and Port Reworking upgrades are permanent. Buying either of these will make it impossible to restore a bike to its original state (important if you ever plan to use the bike in a Battle From Zero race).
• The Stage 3 Weight Reduction upgrade removes headlights. If you want to use a bike for night races, you'll need to set the Weight Reduction to Stage 2 or less.
• For any race where modifications are permitted, it's a good idea to have a Sprocket/Setting kit. With the kit installed, you can set the gears for faster acceleration or for higher top speed. Since most of the tracks have very many short straights but very few long ones, setting the gears for faster acceleration is usually the better choice. To do this, press the Setting icon (either before starting a race or from the Garage while viewing your bike), then scroll right twice to go to the Gear Ratio page, and then increase the value for the Final option. You can use L1/R1 to decrease/increase by 10 or L2/R2 to decrease/increase by 100. For bikes that already upshift fairly quickly, a setting of +100 or +200 should suffice; for bikes that take a long time to reach their top gear, +300 or +400 would be better. You only have to do this once after installing a Sprocket/Setting kit (not before each and every race) since the setting will remain set as long as the kit is installed. If you uninstall the kit (e.g., for the Battle From Zero races), all settings are reset to their defaults so you'll need to remember to do this again after re-installing the kit and before starting your next non-restricted race.
• For Class C > Battle From Zero > Naked, you'll need a Yamaha RZ250R. You can avoid buying this bike by winning it in the Class B > Class Race > 400 race. There are 4 bikes to be won in that race, so if you don't get the RZ250R after winning the race the first time, just win the race again until you do.
• Bonus bikes can only be won once, so don't sell any unless you're absolutely sure you don't want them in your Garage.
• At some point, you'll need to buy a 600cc bike since none can be won in the early stages. Your best choices are: Honda CBR600F Sport '02, Kawasaki ZX-6R, Suzuki GSX-R600, or Yamaha YZF-R6. You'll win a blue/white GSX-R600 '02 later on, so get one in a different color if you decide to choose that bike.
• Once you've unlocked the Class A > Speed Master series, you can use the Unlimited race as a "money maker" to easily earn enough points to buy any bikes or parts that you want. The ideal bike for this race is a fully-upgraded Kawasaki ZX-12R. If you don't yet have that bike but you have something that's faster than the Suzuki TL1000S, you can still win about a third of the races and come in second or third in the rest.
• There is no Bonus for completing Class S alone or for completing all classes. It appears that when you complete Class S, the program looks at certain criteria and awards Bonus bikes depending on which criteria is met. See the "Class S complete + ..." items of the Events and Bonuses list to see which bikes can be won by meeting certain criteria. If you don't get the bikes listed when you complete Class S, check the in-game Status page to see which criteria isn't yet met. If you haven't yet done 250 races, the easiest way to increase the number is by entering and exiting a race without actually doing the race. If you've won less than 200 races or your mileage is less than 3000 km. or you've earned less than 100M points, the easiest way to meet that criteria is by doing the Oval Course in Class A > Speed Master > Unlimited. Note that the Bonus, in this case, isn't awarded in the usual way (i.e., immediately after awarding points) but, instead, is awarded when you return to the Garage menu.

• Anthony Lester, for providing the very much appreciated:
  • Info for several bikes that were missing from the Bike List,
  • Tips on how to win Bonus bikes by buying bikes from the Shop,
  • Suggestion to include info for bike colors,
  • Corrections to the Track List section, and
  • Time Attack tip in Miscellaneous Notes.