I've got to say that after all is said and done, First Gear have been good.
It's been a difficult time going through the process of getting my UK motorcycle license. First gear were recommended to me by a friend, and they were right next to work.
They have been very patient and have tried their best to accomodate what is, for me, a very difficult work schedule due to frequent travel.
They have several packages, including the one I took, specifically for experienced riders who need to get their license in the UK. It's a 3-day curriculum including CBT, one day of road training, and motorcycle rental for the test day with a 30 minute practice just before the test. They will also loan you (free of charge) a CD with the theory test information on it.
Their training facility is less than a mile from the new Farnborough test center, and it is very big. I don't know my square meters, but it must be close to an acre in size with a practice road course on it. Ameneties are minimal, but it's a great site.
I enjoyed all of the instructors I spoke to and worked with. They were all experience motorcyclists themselves, and had a lot of valuable information to share about motorcycling in general. With their help, I identified one or two bad habits that probably would have made it difficult to pass my test.
I have two gripes, despite which, I rate them rather high. First, the manner in which I had to be rescheduled. After the big snow storm in England in Feb 2009, I felt they could have done a better job of clearing their facility, and thus not cancelling my CBT training. Andy, the owner, later told me he dropped £250 on salt to clear the snow...are there no snow ploughs in Southern England whatsoever? My perspective is tainted by living in some very cold and snowy places, I guess. Still...it was an 18-year weather event. Shit happens.
The other gripe I have is that the CBT was to end at 15:00 according to their schedule. I was made to sit around for an hour at one point before I did road training, and then, I ended up getting out of there at 16:45. This was particularly upsetting as I really value my weekend time with my family.
Aside from these two things, they did a lot of stuff right, so I would still recommend First Gear to anyone. They are top quality.
Update: I passed my practical test. The test day run up was very useful. The owner of the school, Andy actually took me out with another student who was to have his test right after mine. I had about 30 minutes of practice on the road before he delivered me to the test facility. He gave me some last-minute pointers, and took me by one particular junction that was a minor road turning onto a very busy A-road. This was awesome, as he gave me some pointers for how to approach the exit to the major road. The instructor later took me on this exact junction, and even though I am an experienced motorcyclist, I would have found it unnerving had I not practiced it.
So there you have it. Great instructors, great staff, and very thoughtful hands-on support for this experienced motorcyclist to get his UK license. Thanks, First Gear! read more