Next time we meet up she should try sitting on my Wee. The suspension sits nearly 1" lower than stock, and with the Sargent seat it feels even lower than that.

Thing is the suspension was lowered without using lowering links or raising the forks, so it can it can still be dropped by another 3/4", which puts the seat height into lowered Gladius territory.

It might be worthwhile to find a F650GS forum to see what owners have to say about reliability and maintenance costs for that particular model. As near as I can tell the engine is the same one used in the F800 but it’s been de-tuned from 85 HP to 71 HP, so it should be pretty reliable, and there’s no shaft drive or single-sided swing arm to add complications.

The 765 mm seat height (with optional lowering kit) is probably the lowest you’ll find in an adventure style bike.

Tom, don't forget to let her watch Dani Pedrosa gridding up before a MotoGP race, sliding halfway off the left side of the bike to dab one foot down. I'm always surprised he makes as good starts as he does. He's also 5'4"

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'04 650, and goshdarnit it's fun - matte silver (#9 in the Silver 'Strom Club)
farewell to an '81 KZ550, '83 GPz750, '83 V45 Sabre, R-Reg GT380, '84 GPz550, early '70s DT175, and a '72 Peugeot 102

Another plus on the 650 GS is the fuel is under the seat lowering the center of gravity. That was a main reason besides the height that I sold the 07 Vstrom.
Also the wet weight of the Thumper, rotax single, is about 420#.
As much I like the V, I test drove, researched and am buying an 07 f650 GS this week. It has a great long term reliability record like the V and gets about 60mpg.
Since the V I've been looking for a bike like it that fit me and finally found it.

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2007 Blue Vstom 650
2007 Red Vstar 1300

The last time I went to a BMW Service center to research maintenance costs on one of their bikes, I found their reaction to be vague and understated. I almost got the feeling that there was this ‘if you have to ask, then you aren’t right for it’ kind of attitude. I’m still waiting for the sales rep I was later referred to send me the maintenance schedule for the bike.

Why in the hell you would suggest to someone to trust the service department when they are overwhelmingly likely to be working in tandem with the sales department to encourage sales is beyond me. I think it is always wise to talk to people who have owned the bike for some time and are not affiliated with motorcycle sales or service anywhere, just consumers who have owned that bike.

Here’s a link to a discussion on the F650GS you may want to study, albeit for an early model one.:

Talk me into / out of an 01 BMW F650 GS

Make sure you read about the oil change procedure. I think it’s wise to thoroughly research the maintenance cost on any bike, particularly any BMW.

Personally, I seek out a bike that I can perform all of the maintenance on myself with a good chance that I will never need to take the bike to the dealership for anything during its ownership.

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'06 DL650 Pearl Crystal Red

Here is something maybe in the future from Husqvarna. Seat height looks pretty low and has the ADV look.
Note the forward cylinder.

Attached Images

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2012 DL1000 Adventure (Tinkerbell)
PC-V, TRE, CR8EIX plugs, Madstad bracket, Madstad 22" shield, Fork brace, 17/43 gearing, Airhawks, Chinese mirrors, mirror extenders, RDL.

Tom, you do realize that the Gladius IS the lower version of the V-Strom. Maybe her Gladius just needs some Heidenau K60s, handguards, and a butch looking skid plate to be an "Adventure Bike".