MotoGP 21: How to brake without assists

MotoGP 21 is arguably the best MotoGP game since Milestone took over the franchise in 2013. To find out why we love this game so much, check out our full review here.

Something you should always aim to do when you start a new game is to improve and turn down the assists you're using. One of the most difficult to turn off is the joint braking assist, but we're going to guide you through how to safely and responsibly do so here.

For a more general guide on how to get off to a good start in MotoGP 21, check out our beginner's guide! But for more experienced gamers, here's how to ride without braking assists.

What is the joint braking assist?

Disabling the joint braking assist means that you have to manually control the rear brake. When the joint braking assist is enabled, the front and rear brakes are both activated when you press the braking button. When it's disabled, you'll have to activate the rear brake independently, which is X on PlayStation or A on Xbox.

If both brakes aren't activated at the right time, you'll fly wide of the corner and/or pull a stoppie and lose control of the bike.

Unlike traction control, joint braking this isn't something that's allowed in real MotoGP, so turning it off increases the realism of your save. It's very difficult to get used to if you've never ridden like this though, so it's important to take your time to adjust.

The benefit to not having joint brakes enabled is that, in theory, you can race faster than when you have them both on. This is because there are some instances when it's better to use the front brake only or the rear brake only. Granted, these are few and few between, but most circuits have these scenarios somewhere around their lap.

How to take the assist off

Taking the joint braking assist off is a simple process. Whether you're in Quick modes or Managerial mode, go into your riding aids. From there, navigate down to the brake system and choose to disable the assisted front brake. This will automatically turn the joint brakes off.

If you're new to MotoGP or motorbike games as a whole, you're best off choosing the settings to be moderate for assisted front brake while keeping the joint braking off. This will allow you to ride without the joint brake while also being able to avoid lockups in most situations.

How to ride without joint braking

Walking before you can run is definitely advisable here. Go into a time trial session in quick modes and carefully ride around a circuit which you feel comfortable riding around. Take it steady and brake into the corners with ample distance of the braking zone left.

Ride with your traction control turned up and your engine power turned down, you want to focus solely on your braking here. Something that's in your favour as well is that having joint braking turned off doesn't increase the likelihood of locking your brakes up, so you can brake as firmly as you do normally.

To make both brakes work effectively, you'll have to press the front and rear brakes at the same time. Just a second delay in activating the rear brake will likely end with you pulling a stoppie or flying into the gravel traps.

Then, once you've gotten used to not having joint brakes, turn your engine, TC and other settings back to what you normally run.

When you're comfortable on your previous settings but with no joint braking assist, run a race in quick mode before hopping back into Managerial Mode.

How should I practice riding without joint braking?

A good circuit to practice on is one that has heavy braking zones, but they're separated by long straights. This allows you to focus entirely on your braking, rather than keeping the bike in a straight line.

Therefore, Austria's Red Bull Ring, Britain's Silverstone and Malaysia's Sepang International are all good options.

Start out by practicing by yourself in a time trial in quick modes before transitioning to a quick race. It's a lot harder to keep your cool and focus on your brakes when you've got bikes swarming around you, but you'll get used to it. If you want a real challenge, start competing in races when it's wet, as the bike will have even less grip than in dry conditions.