TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 is RaceWard Studio’s first entry in the Ride on the Edge series started by Kylotonn in 2018.
The game features the fearsome 37.73-mile Snaefell Mountain Course, winding its way through the Isle of Man’s highways and byways, with all the bumps, kerbs and challenges you’d expect from a street circuit, making bike upgrades key to performance.
With an upgrade system based on the team’s debut motorcycle sim RiMS Racing, it’s possible to tune your motorbike to your liking – vital when averaging speeds of over 130mph across the TT course.
Below we’ll take you through all the upgrades available across the Superbike and Supersport classes and how they affect your bike’s performance. We’ll also recommend which upgrades to get first to help you on your way to a full TT victory!
How do I upgrade my bike in TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3
You can upgrade your bike in TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 by visiting one of the island’s many Inspection Bays (marked by a purple icon containing a spanner). Select the Inspection Bay and hold the X/Square button to enter the Motorbike Setup menu.
From here, you’ll see 11 icons pointing to various components on your bike, with each component featuring five upgrade levels (except the fuel tank, which remains as it is but with an adjustable fuel load).
Hit X or A to select the component you’d like to upgrade and use the L1/R1 or LB/RB buttons to cycle through the upgrade levels to view their performance benefits. Before you can upgrade components you first have to earn Upgrade Points.
All of the upgrades are common to both Superbike and Supersport classes but some will offer slightly different bonuses between the classes. The following is based on using the BMW M1000RR 2021 Superbike and the Honda CBR600RR 2022 Supersport bike.
How do I earn Upgrade Points in TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3?
To earn Upgrade Points in TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3, you must take part in Events and Challenges via the main game map, including official online events. Upgrade points can then be redeemed at an Inspection Bay. Placing well in Events and Challenges grants you more Upgrade Points.
Components and upgrades
Fuel Tank
The Fuel tank isn’t upgradeable, but you can adjust the fuel load. Supersport bikes have a 17l tank in-game which is good for a four-lap race around the full TT circuit (when fully upgraded). In the real-world event a full tank is will only last for two laps.
The Superbike fuel tank is 16.5l big in-game, which is odd given it’s smaller than the Supersport tank. This will only last two laps of the TT course – more in line with the real-world event.
Fuel consumption can be improved by upgrading your engine, but more on that later.
Fairing
The fairing is crucial for aerodynamics and for protecting motorcycle componentry. It also acts as a protective shield for the rider, protecting them from stones and other hazards.
Upgrading the fairing reduces your bike’s overall weight and makes it much less draggy through the air, with the added effect of improving the bike’s rear-end stability – crucial under braking. The Level 5 fairing upgrade grants a 100% Rear Stability Bonus across both Supersport and Superbike classes.
Chassis
Upgrading the chassis provides similar bonuses to the fairing, allowing weight, stability and drag coefficient improvements, with the maximum upgrade producing another 100% Rear Stability Bonus.
Front Tyres
Upgrading the front tyres offers tyre wear (Life Cycle), dry grip and wet grip buffs, with Base Temperature and Heat Duration improvements offered at Levels 4 and 5.
Effectively, these last two categories relate to how hot the tyre is (higher upgrade levels puts the tyres closer to their optimal grip level) and how well the tyre reacts to heat cycles. The Level 5 tyre upgrade grants an overall 8.8% Dry Grip Bonus and a 6.2% Wet Grip Bonus for both the Superbike and Supersport classes.
Front Suspension
The Front Suspension component slot relates to the bike’s dampers. Upgrading the suspension saves weight, adds stability and allows more tuneability to the Spring Preload Range as well as the damper Rebound and Compression (bump) settings.
The Level 5 Front Suspension upgrade leads to a massive 100% Front Stability Bonus, helping prevent low-side accidents.
Front Brakes
When you’re travelling at 160mph+ on a road with a 30mph speed limit, you’re going to need excellent brakes. Improving your brakes reduces weight and increases front and rear braking force, although brake bias adjustments aren’t available.
Still, with reduced stopping distances it should be easier to shed speed heading into Parliament Square, saving yourself from an embarrassing low side crash in front of the crowd.
Engine
The engine is the heart of the bike, so is an obvious place to begin the upgrading process. Not only to the higher engine upgrade levels reduce your bike’s overall weight, but they also improve its low RPM drivability out of corners. Power is also increased.
But perhaps engine upgrades affect fuel consumption most of all, with the top tier reducing fuel usage by a whopping 41% for Superbikes, making it indispensable for the six-lap Senior TT race. The same upgrade level offers a 45% reduction in fuel consumption for the Supersport category.
Transmission
Upgrading your transmission once again reduces your bike’s overall weight and also improves torque slightly.
However, the Level 5 upgrade reduces Superbike gear shift times by 0.05s (0.04s in Supersport) and offers a two per cent traction bonus for Superbikes (four per cent for Supersports), which is always handy when trying to put down over 200bhp exiting one of the TT’s slower turns.
Shock Absorber
Like the front suspension, improving the rear shock absorber grants a weight reduction as well as opening up the range of adjustability of the Spring Reload Range, Compression Range and Rebound Range.
Rear Brakes
See: Front Brakes.
Rear Tyres
See: Front Tyres.
Which upgrade should I get first in TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3?
Upgrading your bike in TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 is a fine balancing act. In the early stages of Seasons mode, it’s best to purchase a range of low-level upgrades first, focusing on the fairing, chassis and tyres to gain weight, aerodynamic and grip buffs (the suspension and shock absorber upgrades can wait for now seeing as they offer fewer benefits).
One key thing to remember is upgrading your engine to Level 5 grants huge advantages in terms of fuel efficiency, so is crucial for the six-lap Superbike TT race.
What upgrade tips would you recommend for TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3? Let us know in the comments below.
