Lightning Motorcycle Training Reviews 

I completed my full motorbike licence at the Stourbridge branch with Jake, Steve and John.
I felt relaxed in the atmosphere and appreciate all of their advice to pass successfully.
Highly recommend! What a great team!

Be very wary of this lot. They book multiple people for CBT and then fail a couple before they even get out on the road. They're happy to take a day's money for 2 hours work. Go to a more reputable company that actually want to help people pass.

Absolutely awful instructor his name is STEWART. Didn’t show any clear instructions, then got angry when the students didn’t get it right. He was rude, arrogant, short tempered and blunt. For the amount I’m paying for this experience I would atleast expect good customer service. He spoke to me and the other students like we were little children.

I trained at Lightning Motorcycle Training’s Mereoak Park & Ride site (Reading) for Mod 1 / Mod 2 sessions. The instructor’s behaviour was completely unprofessional.
I’m a university student and the £865 this training cost was not easy for me to find and pay.
He made multiple personal insults, including: • “Deliveroo are never gonna hire you” (which I felt was a racial comment aimed at me being brown/Pakistani) • “You know what I like about you – (F word) all” • “I thought you were shit but he’s more shit” • Comments along the lines of “I bet if I asked your mum she’d say you’re loopy” • Saying he was going to “brain me” for using the kill switch
There were more insults he made that I can’t fully remember now.
When I asked questions about the emergency stop he questioned whether I had even done my CBT or whether they had taught me properly during it. When I explained it had been months since I completed it, he remained dismissive.
Instead of explaining things he would just yell. When I asked questions he became grumpy.
On the road, after a van got between us at a roundabout, he repeatedly told me to catch up. Between 8–10am he said: “When I say catch up that means break the speed limit.” At a different point, while I was already doing the speed limit (30 mph in a 30 zone), he signalled aggressively by waving his hand for me to come over and catch up. He should have slowed down or waited for me instead of expecting me to exceed the limit.
There are a few reviews on Trustpilot about rude or impatient instructors at the Reading / Mereoak sites. One example is the review by MJ L posted on 12 August 2026 titled “Rude & Impatient Instructors”. In that review the learner describes very similar behaviour – little patience, everything treated as the student’s fault, being told to “keep up” while the instructor and another student appeared to be riding at least 5 mph over the speed limit, and being berated for not following across a roundabout when it was unsafe.
Learners should not be insulted, yelled at, or instructed to break the law. This is not acceptable training.
For my Mod 2 I had Barrie and he was an absolute phenomenal instructor. He was patient, clear, professional and actually taught properly instead of just shouting. Barrie really knows the legal side of everything and explained the rules and why they matter in a way that made sense. He never pressured anyone to break the speed limit or put safety at risk. Hands down the best instructor I’ve had – the complete opposite of Keith. If you’re booking, try to get Barrie.

Best training school out there. Hands down. The instructors are next level and the chief instructor Keith is fantastic. Highly recommend them.

I trained with Keith and David at the Wembley branch, from CBT through to the Category A license, which I received today. I had a great time.

The staff are friendly and very good to practice with. Keith spent a lot of time with me reviewing my faults for the Mod2 test, and his training played a big role in me passing the test on my first attempt!

I was extremely nervous when i arrived at the training centre but immediately I was made to feel calm. Jim was incredibly patient with me and helped to calm my nerves. He explained everything perfectly and also had a really funny and friendly demeanour.
I learned so much from him and at the end of the day walked away with my cbt renewal.
Such a lovely man with clear instructions.

8 RIDERS AND 2 INSTRUCTORS MEANS THEY WILL FAIL SOME OF YOU.

Had my CBT today in Reading. The equipment was stinking very bad. They failed me because I made a mistake when doing the practising round the cones. The lady next to me seemed to get more chances and opportunities that I did to practice. Seeing as they only allow one instructor on the road with two learners but there are only 2 teachers and 8 learners this was clearly set up to fail. If an individual receives 2 hours on the road after 12pm but the course finishes at 04:30pm then the instructors can only go out twice, thus only being able to take 4 people out. 3 out of the 8 got sent home at midday so that leaves 5 people. £185 down, wasn’t given the opportunity chance to improve for 10-15 minutes. Was told that as the day went on I got better and improved my mistakes but still not enough for going out on the bike, which I perps ally find ridiculous, I’ve just paid £185 for effectively going round some cones a few times. Finally there was an individual who was making the same mistakes as me if not more but she seems to got the extra time to practice and was allowed to go on the road. Never will I use lightning again and most definitely won’t be recommending them to anyone, the instructors were professional, well one of them was the other one had quite a lot of attitude.

In what right mind can you effectively pass 8 people with 2 instructors when you only have a 4 hour time slot and can only take two people out at a time. Effectively setting people up to fail.

I passed my motorcycle test with Lightning Motorcycle Training in Reading, but unfortunately I found the experience extremely unpleasant.

The instructors showed very little patience while we were on the road. Learners inevitably make mistakes, so instructors need to remain calm, communicate clearly and prioritise safety. Instead, I often felt that everything was automatically treated as the student’s fault—even when an instruction came too late or the instructor had ridden too far ahead.

One particularly rude instructor called himself “The Punisher” (real name Keith) and wore the Punisher skull on his jacket—need I say more? It felt as though he used this self-appointed persona to justify speaking rudely to students (who are also paying customers!). He also refused to upload notes to the company website for learners and their next instructors (if at a different location) to read.

On one lesson, he told me to “keep up” while he and the other student appeared to be riding at least 5 mph over the speed limit. Later, I was following him towards a roundabout. He crossed first, but by the time I reached it a car was approaching, so I correctly decided that it was unsafe to pull out. He looked back in his mirrors and continued to berate me for not following him across. I already held a full car licence and would never have pulled out in those circumstances in a car, let alone on a motorcycle I was still learning to ride.

Students need constructive feedback, clear instructions and instructors who model safe, legal riding. Being pressured to keep up, watching an instructor disappear into the distance, or being criticised for refusing to make an unsafe manoeuvre undermines confidence and can encourage dangerous decisions.

To be honest, I am quite surprised not to see similar reviews on this website regarding some of the staffs attitude. Having said all that, there are some nice instructors (unfortunately I was not taught by them), so its definitely a luck of the draw kind of situation if you choose to sign up to their training.

I did pass, but my motivation was largely fuelled by the dread of having to return for another lesson. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend this training school.

Did my DAS with Lightning Oxford. The training was done well, having a full MOD1 layout at their facility was really beneficial and you get the plenty of riding time on the course. My instructors were all first class and a good laugh.

I completed my a2 training with lightning motorcycle training at the reading centre and unfortunately would not recommend them.

I arrived early for every session. On my first day i arrived around 20 minutes early, despite their recommendation being 15 minutes, yet i was barely acknowledged and still made to feel rushed. Asking for jacket also seemed to annoy them, despite their website saying protective clothing is available if needed.

My first instructor, Simon, had two students, he and the other student started riding off before i had properly familiarised myself with the bike, leaving me rushing to catch up. I had already been told the sv650 i was given had been dropped the previous day and had a broken clutch lever. Once riding, it repeatedly refused to select first gear at lights while Simon shouted through the headset. We eventually had to ride to their abbey club site where they found the throttle cable was sticking and replaced the lever. If they knew the bike had been dropped and damaged, i am not sure why it was not checked beforehand.

The reason for the rush soon become obvious: the other student had mod 1 test in oxford. We rode there and i spent roughly 50-60 minutes of my paid mod 2 lesson sitting around waiting for their test.

While waiting, i mentioned i was 21 and on an a2 lesson. Simon then realised the sv650 he had given me was unrestricted. This was particularly concerning because when booking i specifically selected and paid extra for a2 motorcycle hire. If i pay for an a2 bike expecting to actually receive one seems fairly reasonable. The next instructor also confirmed i should not have been riding that sv650.

I was then simply told i needed another day of training despite much of the first session being lost to bike problems, another students test and waiting around so i paid for another session.

My second instructor, Marcus, gave me a triumph 400 meaning the first days bike familiarisation was largely pointless. Marcus was much better personally, but despite knowing my test was in oxford we stayed around Reading doing motorway and back road riding, with comments like "was that fun". I had paid for test preparation not a guided joy ride. I would have preferred time in oxford learning the roads where i was actually being tested.

On the test day i again arrived early and was barely acknowledged. Several instructors seemed more interested in chatting and flirting with a female cbt student than dealing with waiting customers. During the ride to oxford, the other student received much of the useful feedback in the test area even though i was he one taking my test that morning.

The instructor also made repeated sexual jokes, including comments about a condom on the floor and penis sizes which i found unprofessional. We then arrived 45 minutes before my test and spent roughly 30 minutes sitting in the test center park instead of using the remaining paid training time.

I failed the test, i accept that passing is ultimately the riders responsibility but my complaint is about the training and organisation i paid for. 10 days later i took mod 2 again in Wolverhampton on my own gsx650 without further training and passed.

I was also left wh the strong impression that people booking full 3/4/5 day mod1 + mod 2 courses received more attention than customers booking one or two session mod 1 or 2 sessions. I cant say that is their policy, only how i felt i was treated.

If your thinking of booking one training session and test i personally would look elsewhere, i rarely write reviews but this one deserved one. I have so much more to write but trustpilot limits words.

Overall poor organisation, little welcome, rushed instruction, lost training time an unsuitable a2 bike despite paying for a2 hire, and inappropriate jokes. My experience felt more like being fitted around everyone elses schedule than receiving the training i had paid for.

If your like myself and found lightning because of all the positive reviews, i would not rely on those alone. I saw those too and assumed i would receive the same level of service. My experience was very different, obviously this is for the Reading centre, other centres may have better instructors.

Passed my cbt for the first time on Friday 7th August at the lighting training based in Oxford Jim was excellent instructor gave me all the information I needed to know great service 10/10 definitely recommend.

Highly recommend lighting motorcycle for both novice and experienced riders and a vast array of courses available very experienced and knowledgeable friendly staff who put me at ease through my CBT

Just passed my a2 with these lads. Marcus, David, Cole and Keith all did a quality job at correcting my bad behaviours resulting in a mod 1 pass with 0 faults and a mod 2 pass with only 2 faults. Strongly recommend getting some training in with these guys if you want to learn how to ride correctly and safely. Take care guys and will see you down the line for my full A license.

I Just done my CBT with Simon in Wembley both instructors is good and helpful also lower price in London

I did my CBT course and full A2 licence training with Lightning Motorcycle Training. They made it really easy with booking the Mod 1 and Mod 2 tests as well as riding with you on the day of the test. All the instructors were really helpful and encouraging as they only want you to do well and pass the course. Honourable mentions to David and Keith who helped me prepare for the Mod 1 And 2 tests, they made sure I understood what mistakes I was making and how to prevent them and gave me excellent tips on how to do well on the test. Definitely would recommend Lightning Motorcycle Training to anyone who is new to riding and wants to get their full license.

I recently passed both my Mod 1 and Mod 2 with Lightning Pass Motorcycles, and I cannot recommend them highly enough!

A huge thank you to trainers Keith, Simon, and Marcus. They were brilliant at picking up on my riding faults and helping me correct them, which was absolutely vital for getting me through my Mod 2.

One of the most helpful aspects of their setup was riding out to the test centers during our training sessions and on the actual test days. It massively enhanced my familiarity with the local roads and routes, which took a lot of the pressure off.

Most importantly, despite the inevitable test nerves, I genuinely enjoyed my rides with them. They helped me improve immensely as a rider while keeping the whole experience fun and positive. Thank you to the whole team!

I would definitely recommend lightning motorcycle training to anyone.
I did most of my training with Keith and what a great instructor he is he got me through my mod 1 and mod 2 in no time at all I was shocked.
Thank you to everyone that worked with me.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Lightning Motorcycle Training for helping me pass Mod 1 and Mod 2 first time.

A special thank you to Rob and Carl, who were both excellent instructors throughout my training. They were patient, professional, knowledgeable, and always took the time to explain things clearly, which helped build my confidence and improve my riding skills.

Their support, encouragement, and expert guidance made all the difference, and I couldn't have asked for better instructors. I would highly recommend Lightning Motorcycle Training to anyone looking to learn to ride or gain their motorcycle licence.

Thank you again, Rob, Carl, and the whole team for helping me achieve this milestone.

Lightning pass Stourbridge massive thanks to Steve was a superb instructor really good day doing my CBT will be back to do my A1