courses in circuit - part a: a primer on purpose

after at least 1.5 in passing 2b, i did not talk much about the courses in here as i thought there is a different school of thought for certain courses and techniques which ppl agree. however, i thought it doesnt hurt to talk about the courses in 2b and at least highlighting certain oddities when it comes to executing the courses.

a: purpose of test courses
steering and low speed control etc is like one of the basics for m/c operation.
however, these courses bring out the finer details in m/c control, just like the s-course and crank course for e.g. in class 3 driving tests:

1. narrow plank:
   - low speed control; balancing -  clutch control; gyroscopic sensitivity of the rear wheel and the front steering; lane splitting (one of the evil sins committed after getting the license)
2. pylon slalom:
   - ability to plan turns ahead during m/c movement; countersteering; swerving out of danger in actual riding conditions;
3. emergency braking on wet surface:
   - all braking is supposed to be planned. if its an emergency on a wet surface the course gauges you on:
   - braking sensitivity - including sufficient braking pressure to not cause a front or rear wheel lock/skid;
   - ability to keep vehicle under control under rapid deceleration - especially wheel traction is limited
   - understanding of m/c suspension behaviour under heavy braking - front forks and rear shocks
   - chill factor: non kan cheong spiderness when you need to e-brake - especially on the expyway when a van decides to skid across a few lanes and you really need to stop in time!
4. s-course
   - small radius cornering at low speed with m/c under control
   - throttle control: maintaining engine speed and power to rear wheel under banked conditions - especially when traction is compromised
   - rear brake control: speed modulation through out course in banked conditions (this is not a good thing to apply on the road but braking should not be done when you are banked over or cornering or even turning. more on that later.)
   -  round abouts! =D
5. crank-course
   - ability to make sharp right angle turns in succession; or rather the ability to plan through one
   - oversteering techniques in space constraint
   - sharp angular turns in car parks (pls go slow when u have got the license though)
6. stopping and moving off from slope
   - ability to move off from slope when stopped
   - ability to use engine braking when moving down slope at controlled speed
   (beginners dont realise that not clutching in allows the bike to move slower in gear one than freewheeling downwards out of control)
   - stopping on a monster slope at awkward roads with a slope in a congestion e.g. on a expressway/certain roads in sg

in summary - basic skills tested for the courses build on:

1. clutch/throttle control or low speed control
2. steering - or rather counter steering; swerving
3. ability to plan change of direction in time
4. fine brake control - front and rear
5. wheel traction sensitivity or conservation of traction:
   balance between acceleration; braking; and cornering
6. motorcycle suspension - front fork and rear shocks - related to wobble!

the whole point of really doing well or at least doing the courses properly is to understand the m/c physics during machine handling of these courses. at least by listing out all these, hopefully one could point out what to work on when dealing all these courses while trying really haaard to pass.

i've also noticed that the school does not actively cover these m/c physics in the syllabus - especially on the importance of conserving traction and countersteering, when these concepts are paramount to the rider's safety on the road in the future.

for part b in another post i will touch on the oddities for executing these courses - you shouldnt be surprised by now that many of the demerit points awarded during assessment is due to things you do outside the course or when you are going into the course. - and of course how to avoid them.

class 2a?

i've just passed my class 2a! tips to passing doesnt change from class 2b but here's some to document:

1. the super 4 is much heavier. you will definitely wobble.
   practise your moving off and stopping smoothly.
2. 4 cylinders, 400cc = a lot of power.
   go easy on the throttle. remember you will get penalized if you dont throttle enough (poor acceleration).
   
   also, ease out the clutch the gear smoothly for smooth gear changing - or else the revs will jump.
   
3. short range lane change
   cant say much about this - look ahead, plan ahead, smooth and less abrupt moments = less wobble.
   
   
4. s course / crank course:
   bike is again heavier, and has much power.
   throttle control and dare to lean with the bike!
   
   dont go too fast though, you need to stop in time if there is traffic outside the s course and make a perfect turn out into the crank course.
   
5. narrow plank / pylon slalom:
   riding position on s4 is slightly swept back than cb125.
   this means you look forward horizontally, not hold your head upright.
   
   also, loosen the arms (dont lock the elbows) for easier low speed steering control.
   for slalom, it may help if you countersteer at the cone (i.e. turn at each cone early!)
   
6. e-brake - stop after speed at 40km/h
   braking power of a larger cc bike is incredible.
   this means you will lock the front wheel even more easily.
   
   look forward, lock your arms when you brake, and squeeze the front brake lever with your finger tips. too much force on the brake levers will lock your wheels - and you definitely will skid.
   
   also note that on rainier weather its more difficult to pick up to speed.
   avoid over-revving. you will have less traction to play with and also you will not be able to stop in time.
   
   there is no need to open vtec. seriously.
   
7. bumpy coursethis is new - series of 9 kerbs, clear with more than 6 seconds.
   key is to keep the going straight, stable, kerb after kerb
   
   half standing posture - keep the weight of your body on the fuel tank by gripping the tank. it does help to avoid sticking out yr ass.
   
   go in slow - too fast and you will be skipping through the kerbs too fast.
   
   every bump power - if you are already going slow, you need power to go over each kerb. throttle and half clutch control. personally to maintain at half clutch control, my left pinky is gripping the left handle grip to prevent complete clutch in.
   
   treat it like narrow plank: so look up - and you will go straight, not go out of course or fall.
   
8. slopenothing to say here - but remember to avoid clutching in after the going over the peak of the slope! let engine braking do your slow speed control!
   
9. blind wall / blind corner
   this is new as well.
   
   stop before stop line; check traffic from left, check blind spot; inch out a bit, check traffic behind blind wall, then make decision to turn.
   
   also, beware of L plate drivers learning to // park.
   
10. last but not least, be smooth. and ride like you are really riding a larger cc bike and can handle the power of the bike.
    
    they like to penalize on poor acceleration - underrev, overrev, or overzealous opening of vtec.
    THROTTLE CONTROL IS YOUR BUDDY.

pre-ride ritual / regular checks on your machine

i spend 4 mins on warming up my phantom daily before i move out.
put it to good use! here's mine in sequence

1. head light and rear light - MUST BE ON TO SEE FAR AND BE SEEN
2. left right indicator lights, check both front and back blink and cancel properly
3. brake light actuation - front brake; make sure can light up and go off the moment u let go the lever
4. ditto for rear brake for brake light actuation
5. front brake, roll forward and press, should be firm
6. rear brakes, roll forward and step, should work
7. tachometer before moving off - state of warm up

some extra checks:
1. if after rain, usually check for debris on fork make sure fork oil not leaking
2. tires - make sure not leaking/check pressure when petrol fill up
3. chain free play
4. clutch free play

that's the minimum i check. for the peace of mind, here's a T-CLOCKS list for something comprehensive.
http://micapeak.com/info/T-CLOCK.html

wobble part 4: more on lane change and wobble

something i left in the comments which i think should be included in a post on lane changing and wobbling during class 2b lessons - a summary for tips during lane change:

1. Lane change from point a to point b in a straight line. If its not a diagonal straight line across lanes and u hv to change direction-wobble!

2. Identify your path / diagonal line and aim your bike early! Dont rush into it! This includes early identification of traffic from the back.signal, check mirror assess before blind spot!

3. if you are going too fast, use the rear brake only to control your speed. Using your front brake during lane change may cause wobble especially if you going to miss your lane change end point.

4. Turn your head slowly when lane change for blind spot check. Don't rush your head turning. Move your head only. Move your body abruptly you will jerk the bike and wobble.

5. Maintain throttle during lane change. Don't suddenly let go throttle. Confirm will wobble. Use rear brakes to control speed. Power to the rear wheel should be consistent.

6. Last tip doesn't only apply only to lane change: whether u wobble or not also dependant on whether suspension is upset or changes position during sudden change of direction or speed.

in the circuit u cant go fast so this will be even more impt. All steering and throttle inputs should be gradual.

Be mindful of the front fork and rear suspension at all times.

a national day message: junctions = crossing of danger area

ohai! since i'm actually free enough to do an update on a national day, here's a clip to share:

the purpose of sharing this clip is not to incite a debate on whoever is at fault in this case. the whole point here is this accident is avoidable.

after riding for sometime, we probably realise by now that in singapore, sometimes right of way doesn't count. sometimes it's just luck that comes upon u when you're riding.

in summary:

1. slow down before a junction always
2. watch out for oncoming traffic
3. even if u are going straight and u hv right of way, cockster drivers will still turn right on u
4. if you are turning right, at least assess throughly before making that turn
5. and finally, slow down before junction PLEASE,going straight or making a turn

remember, ride safe!
you are not only responsible for your safety but also have to answer to the people around you when you ride.

==END OF NATIONAL DAY MSG==

u turn for class 2b.

3 different stages in u -turns for class 2b test.

1. queuing up behind a first rider making an u turn
2. positioning to the u turn point after the first rider go off
3. making the u turn.

stage 2 is the most difficult if there is a rider before due to the short distance movement and braking you have to make without point deduction.

ground rule during u-turns:
right foot always on peg to cover brake, left foot always down. 
if your right foot leaves the right peg, immediate failure.

lets go through each step:

1. approach and queue behind first rider making u turn slowly. stop without wobble, and stop close to the left lane dotted line marking.

why? you need the distance and radius to make the next turn.

if your the first rider, good for you, skip to step 3.

2. determine your first eye aim head level and aim to the right to a certain angle so that you can make your short turning movement slowly. anchor your right foot to right peg.

open throttle and clutch out slowly to make that slow turn to the turning point.
half the distance before reaching the turning point, close throttle clutch in and foot brake gently.

as an instructor put it, front brakes should be used 1% compared to the 99% braking effort on gently stopping the bike. do not over use the front brakes since this will defintely cause wobble.

3. once you are at the turning point:

a) impt: at least 2 lanes must be clear for you to make a safe turn. if its day light you might have to stick out yr head abit and giraffe abit to watch out for vehicle to make your turning decision.

b) CHECK BLIND SPOT.

c) turn your head all the way to the right for your turning point. the more you turn your head, the sharper your turn,

d) open throttle, clutch out, drag your rear brake to control the turning.

e) complete your turn as soon as possible and also as smooth as welll, shift up to gear 2 and get out of there.

hope this helps!

wobble part 3: lane change/ blindspot check/ turning

1. when you check blind spot, do it with a gradual turn of head. dont jerk!
dont rush into a blind spot check. the more excited or last min u do the checks, the more likely you are going to cause the bike to wobble.

2. lane change should be initiated by aiming with your eyes the end point you want to reach after the lane change. lane change must be done in a straight line during class 2b test.

if you do not lane change in a straight line from start to end, and go in a 3 section line instead, (like how a lightning bolt will be drawn), definitely a higher chance of wobbling with multiple change in directions.

3. before making a turn, make sure you have completed the blind spot check in time.

you need to slow down in advance and turn in a lower gear for more power during turning e.g. gear 2 or else the bike will wobble. also, look and aim where you want to go.

4. for sharper turns from stops to avoid wobble, lean the bike in the direction you want to go, make sure you do not drag the brake (this cost points in class 2b) and look where you want to go and open throttle gradually. the power of the engine turning the rear wheel should dominate the energy of the turn, not your body steering inputs. this will reduve wobble.

5. the best way to do this gradual is to have high situation awareness and planning before committing into a change in bike direction. the less last min decisions u make in steering inputm the less wobble. the faster u go and you change direction, the more you wobble.

push starting the easy way out

i ride a phantom ta200. this means i dont have a kick starter and when your battery dies.. you gotta push start!

since phantom ta200 is an old bike no longer in production.. learning to push start isnt easy especially during class 2b lessons the cb125 was muchhhh lighter.

anyway, steps are as follows.

1. turn on the ignition, turn on the petcock.
2. change to gear 3 or 4 at least. if u find the gear lever start in neutral, roll forward a little and try again until you can change gear.
3. find a clear road of at least 10-15m to walk your bike.
4. hold in the clutch, start walking really fast.
5. when you are walking fast enough at least 10kmh or jogging pace, drop the clutch suddenly.
(not slowly release)
6. if the engine starts, clutch in immediately, and open slight throttle to keep engine going.
7. shift back to neutral!

if you do this right enough, you dont have to run! just walk fast and it will work.
if you dropped your bike and this doesnt work then you need to open wide throttle since yr engine might be flooded.
on a cold weather, especially in the rain you might have to pull the choke. i find it even more necessary if im using vpower. not too sure why for the moment.

do a push start today! dont wait till when things happen then u have to practise!

sorry folks

busy with exams till this fri! meanwhile something to share:

motorcycle physics: http://www.motorcyclejazz.com/motorcycle_physics.htm

meanwhile ride safe!

wobble?? - part 2, wobble while stopping! / braking

situation 2: wobble when stopping - when does wobble occurs when you are almost slowing down?
some reasons are there, but what you need to know before hand is smooth stopping is related to:

a) slow speed control
b) bike stability management in terms of rear wheel gyroscopic force

reason 1. overuse of brakes! i.e. harsh braking; braking too late??; rushed braking?

> suspension dips! if u hard brake on front, front fork will dip down!
same thing - apply the rear brakes hard and the rear shocks will also dip the bike down!
this basically means that any of this harsh braking will result in upsetting the balance of the bike at low speed!

this will subsequently affect your balance and hence result in a wobble!

solution:
you do not need to use maximum braking force when slowing down. if there's a need to use harsh braking, that means you're braking too late.
key thing is: plan when you want to brake, and plan your time to brake!

* all that is required is engine braking by closing the throttle to slow down and applying the brakes with your finger TIPS so that u do not snatch the brake lever.
know your brake biting point! braking effort should be smooth and natural.
the next time you brake, make an effort to feel for the point where the brake lever starts to slow the bike - that is your biting point. this ability to feel the braking will be even more crucial during e-brake in 3.02. =D


* when to close the throttle? the recommended time if u are braking while in gear 1 or 2 is half the distance before spot u want to stop. (take note if in already in gear 1, remb to clutch in at the same time when u close throttle!)
of course, this may defer from person to person.

* one last thing is to know when you operate the brakes, u should reduce the pressure on the brake lever and the brake pedal gradually. this will reduce the sudden change in momentum and suspension that will result in the stopping wobble. (FYI: this refers to driving a car as well, not just motorcycles!)

>> **note that this is even more important when you pillion next time: this is for the comfort and safety of your pillion rider.



reason 2: rushing to land and put down your foot?
this is similar to when you wobble during moving off - your bike is moving relatively slow when you're almost stopping and the bike is now stable with minimum gyroscopic (upright force) from the rear wheel.

at this very moment before stopping, sudden movement will cause the bike to wobble.
don't rush to put down your foot! u will be stable the moment
if you can stop smoothly and have time to land that left foot. (surprisingly, this is usually coupled with anxiousness or kan chiong spideness with random snatching of the brakes.. see reason 1)

solution
a. momentum must be right when you put down the foot. not too fast, not too slow!
if too fast, you will rush to stop, too slow, your bike doesn't have enough momentum to stay upright and wobbbbble you go!
b. don't rush, feel for the moment when the bike almost stops while stable in a straight line*
c. keep bike in a straight line! *LOOK UP* while your doing so. (this actually leads to reason 3)
d. unfortunately, this needs practice. you need to learn to feel the bike momentum with your body and your butt especially to gauge how the bike is moving before you put down that foot.
e. this landing of the foot should be synchronized with your gradual release of brake pressure when your braking is almost complete.


reason 3. looking down when u brake?
as mentioned before, the eyes of the rider is the aiming device of the motorcycle.
this adage holds even when you're stopping and you decided to look down instead.. immediately you will lose balance and wobble!

"LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO"
if you look down, and don't look up, u will upset your balance

i cant explain in detail why this happens sufficiently but somehow this is the dominant rule all riders had to deal with when learning.

hence the simplest solution is:
*LOOK UP and through the horizon when your almost stopped and keep it that way!
alternatively, if there is another rider stopped ahead of you, LOOK UP and look through his/her helmet.
this will ensure you fixate your gaze at the correct level.

if you fear not stopping at the correct spot before the stop line, and find yourself having to look down to gauge your stopping distance, this also means you have to plan your stopping ahead of time!
do not do panic stops or last minute stops! that is solely reserved for e-brakes!!

so now what? in summary - what to practice as part of your stopping skill sets
- before every lesson commence, always check the amount of braking pressure that you need to exert for different levels of braking pressure!
-  make sure you know your brake biting pt to avoid front wheel lock/skid or any jerks in your bike suspension when stopping!
- only finger tips only ! do not use your knuckle to brake!

- when braking, change down gear early, make full use of engine braking, look up through the horizon, make sure your handlebars are straight and not turned to the side!
- momentum must be right - feather the brakes or use light braking pressure, and not too slow on final stopping of bike!
-  know the moment when your left foot should stick out and land forward down before stopping that causes the least shift in the bike momentum at slow speed!

you might want to look at this link on braking, especially on staged braking (point 10)
http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-Safety/braking-tips.htm

on a final note: avoid last minute braking situations. be aware of your surroundings and maintain good following distance. part of the accidents out there involving riders include wheel skidding and lost of control. as a class 2b trainee, your role is to learn the skills of bike control well so that you do not panic and make the wrong move under such situations. I'm saying that because i skidded my phantom and almost didn't make it.. so...

meanwhile good luck in your lessons and ill try to cover the the other wobbles that you will encounter during lane check / blind spot checking and during turning of your motorcycle!

sorry folks, i have been busy with work and motorcycle maintenance since i passed months back!
perhaps will cover some part of the experience as a new rider here..

well.. class 2b isnt as simple as just passing and getting yr licence!

somethings i'll wish to cover in the future with time to come..

1. u-turns!
2. a proper lane change! (and why this is impt in the real nasssssty world
3. part 3 and 4 on wobble!
4. class 2b cheat sheet =DDDD
5. things to know or be concerned about after your class 2b when u want to get a bike or already have a bike but is lossst

i'll try to time my updates on Sundays so at least there's something to read! =DD

meanwhile enjoy learning and RIDE SAFE.

motorcycle control - control sensitivity

by the end of class 2b lessons, the below finer details of bike control should be familiar then:

• throttle sensitivity: 
• jerking the throttle causes sudden changes in momentum
• eye point: 
• looking ahead, planning ahead, looking where you want to go
• clutch sensitivity: 
• use finger tips to control, 
• control the rear wheel's willingness to upright due to gyroscopic forces, 
• controls low speed, 
• must be able to link to rear wheel's response and rolling momemtum
• 
  
• front brake/rear brake:
• brake's biting point, 
• ability to squeeze hard like squeezing a lemon and not snatching the brake, 
• 4 stages of braking 
• and also not locking up the wheels
• butt sensitivity: 
• to sense wheel traction, 
• to sense momentum of rear wheel at low speed 
• and changes in suspension position due to acceleration/deceleration changes
• to be further continued...

wobble? - part 1

intro
what never fails to intrigue me was the instructors always deduct points for 8.01, 5.02, 4.02 for WOBBLE. i had spent most of the time during my free time wondering if "wobble" is just a ill conceived notion to make us repeat modules and take more lessons =D

most of us will not be able to detect wobble in the beginning stages of learning, at least until we see one for ourselves. i had learnt to recognize one when i first spotted someone wobbling on his cruiser.
(it was pretty obvious 'cos the bajaj avenger had a really long wheel base and u can really see wobble in slowwww-mo)

to simplify, a wobble to my own understanding is given that your bike is on 2 wheels rolling along, the bike wobbles when it either tilts to the side and back and so on!
(you can visualise it as a roly poly toy tilting side to side only that your bike is still rolling forward!) see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roly-poly_toy

i.e. to say, the balance of the bike was UPSET when the wobble occurs while the bike was rolling forward.
you will note that the bike does not really wobble when the bike is turning or cornering.
(more on that later, when i discuss moving off from stopping with a sharp turn in a later post)

so when does your bike wobble?

1. when you're moving off
2. when you're stopping
3. when you are checking your blind spot,especially when you're doing your lane change!

in fact, wobble enough times during your lane change and some of us may have repeated 2.02 so many times just because of the wobble.

the first key important thing is eye-point.
this applies to all 3 situations.

it seems that as long the head and the eye points towards a certain area, the bike will go there!
you may consider your eye, nose and the level of your chin as a motorcycle path aiming device!

i.e. to say to avoid wobble, heads up level, focus on something far, so as to get used to the head position required!

- look up and don't look down when you're moving off!
- look up and don't look down when you are braking to stop!
- look up at something in the horizon.
  if a biker is in front of you "see" through his/her helmet!

this is repetitive, but it make sense! you have to try to know it.


situation 1: moving off
besides eye-point, wobble occurs commonly when you rush to bring your left foot up onto the pegs!

this would probably more obvious when you're practicing low speed control.

guide line: 

• if you're moving off and stopping within a bike distance, you do not have to bring up your left foot immediately! (hang your foot)
• if you're moving off and stopping beyond a bike's distance, bring up your left foot only when the bike has traveled straight with enough momemtum. foot should not be rushed to the peg or else it will upset the balance of the bike!
  
• for the more curious folks, a bike is around 2m in length. a car is typically 4m long.

why?

1. before the bike moves off, you're balancing the bike with your left foot, right foot holding the rear wheel stationary.
2. when the bike moves off, 2 phases occur:
• 1: bike attempts to roll forward and is unstable. bringing up your foot will caused the bike to wobble!
• 2: bike gains enough forward momentum, feeding the throttle the rear wheel causes the rear wheel to upright due to gyroscopic effect! 
3. its only during the 2nd phase onwards u can start controlling your body position so that wobble does not occur with sudden adjustment of the body!

all the above is related to low speed control, and control of the wobble at low speeds would help in eliminating the wobble when you start to move off!

i'll post more on situations 2 and 3 in a later post.

low speed control

important on motorcycle directional control:

****look UP, where you want to go!

your eyes and head should be horizontally up, pick a target point to look at e.g. a building in the horizon, or look through the helmet of the guy in front of you! =D

there is a saying that if you look at the ground or the kerb, you will hit the ground or kerb =)



moving off:

- open throttle slightly
- ease clutch out to the biting point
(if you find it difficult to maintain the clutch lever position at biting point, try using only your FINGERTIPS to release the clutch lever. it makes a BIG difference. holding the lever closer to the end makes it easier as well.)

- left foot should not go immediately up
- do not rush to bring your left foot to the foot peg; this will affect balance and cause WOBBLE
- left foot should go onto the foot peg only if the bike has gained momentum enough to maintain a straight line.
if distance too short, don't have to bring up left leg!

why? motorcycles are most stable when power is fed to the rear wheel and the bike is moving ina straight line. (read up on gyroscopic effect!)

that's when additional movement during this stage will cause less wobble. if the bike is still not stable yet with insufficient speed and still picking up momentum.

yes. bikes are more stable at higher speeds! at lower speeds feed more power to the rear wheel using the throttle for stability.. but power application should be smooth! (read: throttle sensitivity)


stopping (if / while in gear 1):
- identify your target stopping point early.
- at half the distance before the stopping point, close the throttle.
- once throttle closed, apply both brakes, but use more rear brake!
- do not snatch or use too much front brake!
(one instructor said, 99,9% rear brake, 0.1% front brake )


- whole point is, application of both brakes must be smooth!

WHY: if you apply brake suddenly, the suspension with respect to the brake you are applying DIPS down, i.e. it will jerk!

e.g. if you snatched the front brake, the front fork / wheel will sink down immediately!
do it hard enough it will jerk you forward and unbalance you off the bike!
give it a try to understand how it feels.

fyi: when i used to ride a bicycle i tend to use the front brake lever quite harshly. this actually gave me a hard time when i was trying to master and perfect motorcycle braking since i tended to snatch the front brake lever in the past.

one instructor taught me to use only my finger tips to apply the brake. i realised i have been using my knuckles to brake and the force using knuckles was too strong, that it always caused front jerks on my bike and i always lost balance in the beginning when trying to stop!
in fact i locked up my front wheel once because i braked too hard during emergency braking! (road rash for a month on my forearm was a harsh lesson on braking!)

prologue

the whole point of this blog is to document the knowledge gained during my lessons @ bbdc while taking my class 2b lessons. i've passed my class 2b assessment just recently.

learning to ride a motorcycle wasn't easy, especially when i toke my lessons at a later age where psychomotor skills ain't working so well for me.

to further add on, i was on the road riding a bicycle long before i took my class 3 and class 2b, so some cycling habits really do die hard during the beginning while i'm trying to master the basics.

i'll attempt to blog in an order where other future class 2b trainees would find it easier to reference their learning to their current stage (especially if you're from bbdc and yes SINGAPORE!)

also, the focus of my inputs here would be more on WHY certain things are done as opposed to just how they're done. i find it most useful and easier to learn when i understand why certain things are done that way especially to how a motorcycle behaves.

hope you've fun learning! the whole point is to get a class 2b license, not a CRASS 2b license!