Can i ride the 1250 standard gs?

My pops and i are deciding on a bike we can use together. He wants the 1250gs. I want the 790 adv s. Cause you know, biting only what i can chew. Im a 120lbs dude at 165cm with about a year of riding experience. i sat on a 1250gs and i can almost reach the balls of my feet. I havent tried to man handle it. Any riders out there with similar build as mine? wanna make pops happy by chosing the 1250gs. I wont be taking the thing offroad. Imma invest on skills first.

I have seen short men and women ride them
.. just takes practice.. if you can almost get ball of toes to ground .. you are fine.. get abit thicker / taller riding boots if need be.. so set suspension to one person...

You'll be fine.. im 5'9 w/32inch seam... and manage well enough..

The GS will be just fine. The seat has a high and a low adjustment plus BMW has a LOW seat. If pops sits on a LOW CHASSIS model and likes it, get that one and both of you will be able to enjoy the GS together.

Practice, Practice, practice.

I am 168cm (that’s 5’6”) and 140lbs. Switching from a V-Strom 650, I was surprised to find that the standard GS (I have the lighter ‘09) was actually easier to handle for me. Mainly due to the low center of gravity I think. I bought the low seat and it’s perfect for me with the regular suspension. At 165cm maybe just order the low suspension if you are buying new, depending on your inseam.

What will y’all be using it for? If long distance riding is in the cards, then get the GS. But, if shorter rides and any off-road is the plan, then get the 790. I’ve got a GS and my B.I.L. just got a new 790S. To me, the GS feels and is huge compared with the 790.

Jocelyn Snow rides a GS

I am 5'7" and a 28" inseam, and easily ride a standard GS. It is a bit of experience, and practice. I can toe touch.

I'm 177 cm and 190 lbs, and ride a 2018 1200 GS. I don't have the low suspension, but I am using the low seat setting. I can just barely get balls of feet planted. Be aware...If the ground drops down sharply to the left, after putting down the kick stand I can't get get the bloody thing up back upright. Otherwise it's a great road machine. Be a good son and make your pops happy; you only have one and I'm sure he's been good to you!

I’m 5’10” with 32” inseam and have no issues with the 1250gs low. That would be the compromise I’d go for. He wants a gs, get the low version.

Thank you guys for the input. Your right @toolfooldan . I only have one pops. Gotta get what he wants. Its gonna be a steep learning curve for me. But i know i'll enjoy the boxer too.

@Rsquared i think ill be using it to commute to work. Lots of vid out there on handling the big gs.

So are you and your dad buying two new bikes or one that you can both use? I am not so sure you should buy a bike you are not comfortable with or at least fairly confident you can get comfortable with in due time and without hurting yourself.
The hexhead series GS is 40+ lbs lighter than the current GS. A good used model might be the ticket. Being short, I bought a Harley Sportster Hugger (now called Low) as a first bike and ended up keeping it for 20 years. I could flat foot on both sides easily and no problem having a passenger climb on, either.
Now that I have some experience the GS is perfect. But just want to advocate for keeping an open mind.

Try standard seat in low position if that'll be more comfortable - one foot down (even tippy toes) is all you should need at stop lights etc with a bit of careful planning where you'll place your foot down... If that's still high, there's low seat which is lower than standard seat in low position - that should help for sure in the beginning...

With a bit of practice, you can graduate from low seat and to std seat in low position - you can always sell low seat later as there's next "customer" who'll need it...

IMO a bike you don't feel comfortable on is a bike you won't ride.

When I got back into riding 10 years ago (after a 35 year hiatus) I wanted a bike I could easily flatfoot (5'6", 28" inseam). Found one, rode it. At one point I had a 2012 RT which was too tall for me, I was secretly relieved when it was rearended and totaled. By now I have enough experience I would probably be OK on it but it was too much for me even after 3 years. Blah, blah, blah, now I have a factory-lowered GSA and I'm fine with it although I'm still careful about where I stop. Buying a new one next week because the one I have is starting to show its mileage (150K)!

Just curious why you chose a lowered GSA over a standard height (or possibly also lowered) GS? Is it the larger tank? Being about equally “vertically challenged” as you, I have up to now not even looked at the GSA specs and features, assuming it’s just too much bike.

I bought the lowered GSA for the larger tank. I commute in southern Wisconsin. I can ride a week on a single tank. I also wanted the wind protection from the tank - much of my riding is in cooler weather (ride 9 to 10 months of the year, 7C on the way in today).

Rode an RT before this. Prefer the GSA.

Thanks. Good point about the wind protection. This was the biggest surprise for me going from an 883 Sportster to an ADV bike (V-Strom 650, initially), that it provided additional protection from the elements even down at the legs and especially the knees, not only from the windshield. 150k miles - this GSA has obviously worked out well for you!

The GS is a tall bike but you can set the ESA suspension to the low setting and that will get your feet closer tom the ground, the seat also has a low/high setting and if those two options fail you can buy a low suspension GS. Good luck the GS is a great bike and the boxer engine is almost bullet proof.

It was mainly for the bigger tank. I was going to Alaska and didn't want to carry extra fuel. The GS has a smaller tank than the RT I traded (20 liters vs. 25) and gets slightly worse mileage; the GSA carries 30. Also wind protection, the tank is a gas-filled fairing. Also the wire wheels, I'd damaged a cast wheel on a Philadelphia-area pothole and wanted to avoid that expense if it happened in the boonies. Also the puckless mounting of the OEM bags (yes I could have put a GSA rack on the GS but why pay the extra $1,000 for that without getting the rest of the GSA advantages?). All that and it still weighs less than an RT - barely.

It took me a while to get mentally comfortable with the idea of riding a GSA and never leaving pavement but I've never ridden dirt and at 66 I break easy and heal slow, so have no desire to start - let alone with a 600 lb bike. To some folks it's a go-anywhere bike and truly, in the right hands it's capable of amazing things. Mine are not the right hands. To me it's just a comfortable, long-legged, naked standard.

6' with 32" inseam. I ride a '16 GS1200 with Sargent (standard) saddle set at low front and low rear position. I can flat foot my bike. I haven't ridden a KTM790 Adventure S (non-R), but have sat on one several times - very easy to flat foot...Which does give a sense of stability and confidence to all riders. Stopped on an off chamber surface and standing on the balls of your feet is not for beginners.