If you're only 5ft3 then you really need to take those bikes out for a ride because most of these bikes may be low to the ground but their forward footpegs are way the hell out front. I'm 5ft6 and I'm not comfortable riding with most of these cruisers because my feet couldn't reach the controls and I have to do some sort of shrimp contortion and that puts my weight all on the small of the back. Hardly a riding position that is geared towards long hauls.

BTW, cruisers are automatically geezer bikes.:whistle:

Unless most of your 5'3" height is leg, you'll probably find the R12GS to be a tad bit too tall. :idk: I have known riders of your 'stature' to handle R1100GS and R1150GS with low seats and lowered shocks, but they get "useless" as an adventure tourer that way. The new F800GS does have a low seat/suspension option that keeps most of the suspension travel in tact. You'll simply have to see if

Go ahead, drink the cool-aid that is BMW Motorrad. You'll like it (or so I've heard :whistle:)... :rockwoot:

Oh yeah, I'd definitely add my 'vote' for the Victory - I know the owner of the local dealership here in Austin. The bikes have proven to be very mechanically reliable. I do have a soft spot for the Triumph America and Speedmaster, and you can equip them for touring duty if you choose to.

:lol: :dthumb: It is all clear to me now. ;)

What I've ridden:
Yamaha V-star 1100 (my only complaint [after mods] is the handlbars were too much of a reach for me.
Harley Screaming Eagle Fat Boy w/Corbin Seat (Corbin SUCKS :) ). That bike had power to spare and definitely the wow factor. Horrible for long trips over 1000 miles.
Harley Street Glide was the cadilac of motorcycles IMHO...
Yamaha VMax now that was a kick in the pants. I can't wait to try the new one. Wouldn't want to take that on a long trip either though.
Harley Heritage Deluxe. Most comfy bike to date. Incredibly sluggish. I couldn't get out of my own way.

For the most part all of these bikes were easy on the reach regarding the foot controls. The one bike I had trouble with was the Harley Custom Chopper. I felt like the letter V. Hard to stop a bike when you can't reach the rear brakes (actually, kinda saves on rear brake replacement costs... :lol: )

The BMW I chose because the SO used to have a PD model R1100 (I think). It was the ugliest most comfy bike (as a passenger) and handled great on the varied Alaska roads. Of course, my SO was 6'3".

I've put a lot of thought into this and I keep coming back to the Victory line. Since I won't be buying for a few months I get to keep looking just to make sure. For instance, I am really intrigued by the Ducati ST3...

Not only the R1200GS is tallish but it is also top heavy. Very hard to balance when you're short statured. The KTM Adventure however is aother story. Here's a bike that is properly designed for its mission. Like I said before, I'm 5ft6 with a measured inseam of 26" - I wear 29" inseam pants, but I have zero problem riding the KTM Adventure even though it's taller. It's all due to the proper engineering of the chassis. The bike's center of balance is low instead of high, the chassis is narrow (thanks to the V-twin engine) so that my legs go straight down instead of to the sides like on the Beemer.

I love my BMW but KTM makes adventure bikes. Everybody else make pretenders.

Anyway, the ST3 is a pretty sweet sport tourer albeit slightly high. But hey, if you can balance it on one foot, you're good to go. That's a much better bike than a silly ass cruiser.

And yes, I'm highly opinionated when it comes to cruisers. I'll never be old enough to own one. I made the mistake of owning a Harley when I was 25. Never again.

:moon::bonk: I love them silly ass cruisers! :spank:

I like it....if I was in the market for a cruiser, that would make the list!

That's what my "salesperson" said! :lol: His only bike is an R6 ... :lol: