After 6 months of commuting to and from work following my CBT, I decided to look into progressing to a full licence. With the theory test out of the way (I still learned some things even after 20 years of driving) I started looking into local bike schools. I wasn't sure of the level I was at after, essentially being self taught. I struggled with getting the hang of the coordination during CBT and felt nowhere near ready to be let loose on the roads but, after a few days getting out on the bike, I could start concentrating more on what was happening around me. I also took the time to read a few books which did offer some good advice and gave me some things to work on out on the road. There isn't a huge selection of bike schools in Aberdeen or the Shire but I'd put that down to the comparitively small demand for courses. It doesn't take too long to see that most bike schools are charging a similar amount for the 3 - 4 days courses that would include mod 1 and mod 2. I estimated myself that I would require roughly this amount to get me through but I really had nothing to compare to. I was a little put off, at first, that there were no prices for a 3 - 4 day course listed on Aberdeen Bike School's website but I was interested to get a price. Simon was quick to reply giving a couple of examples of what recent students, in a similar situation to myself, had ended up paying to get a full licence. The cost was significantly lower than the local 'average' price and he seemed to be able to tailor the times to suit my availability. I called Simon on a Friday and he persuaded me to meet him the next morning at the test centre. I spent around 30 - 45 minutes watching him instruct another student around the mod 1 course that is used for the actual tests. I then got my first ever shotty on the big bike! Getting to ride around the mod 1 circuit with Simon's constant, and easy to remember tips, was priceless. After a few goes around each exercise he was confident that I was ready to take mod 1 (let's not mention nearly dropping the bike the first time I used the stand and it slipped away as I got off. Simon says 'dropped', I say 'well caught' although still mortified as I've never been close to dropping my own). Mod 1 was booked for Monday (I'd only called him on Friday) and after a warm up on the bike (Simon took me through all the exercises out on the road one last time) it was off to the test centre. 1 minor fault for doing 48 during the avoidance but I consider it a good pass. Just like after finishing my first hour with Simon, I rode home buzzing with confidence and almost feeling like a real biker. I asked Simon to take me for a lesson to assess how far I was from being ready for a test. After looking at test dates, suitable ones seemed pretty far away but Simon keeps some up his sleeve and I was fortunate that he had one, on a day that suited perfectly, two weeks later. I went out for an hour, typically at night in the pishing rain, but watching Simon ride was invaluable in showing me where my bad habits were. His relaxed style of coaching on the move is encouraging and he really does never stop talking when on the 1 way radio. He is full of little anecdotes that help you remember why you are doing exactly what he is instructing you to do. Simon had also emailed me a breakdown of common routes, spelling out the flashing 20 signs and stop junctions as well was where you are likely to get the independent riding section. I'm not as familiar with the South side of town so I took his advice and got out in the car and on the bike when possible. I next met up with Simon on test day, another student and I both had tests booked for a Friday afternoon and we got a good hour and a bit of a warm up beforehand. We went around a couple of routes and, fortunately for me, I was taken on a very similar route during my test. One minor later and I can now remove the L's. Thanks Simon, I think it would be very hard to find a better bike trainer in the North East and I can't recommend ABS highly enough. Absolute value for money. Read Less