^ I can relate to this
.
I'm only 5'1", but inseam is 29". 100 pounds, abouts. Inseam (therefore leg length, not entire body height), weight and confidence factors will help you decide. I tippy toed my 2011 cbr250r for the first few months, but needed more confidence. Skimming teh pavement with ur toes does not inspire confidence for a n00b, especially if you're tiny and not a lot of weight to throw around to push that bike down, and that's an assessment from my own personal experience. Leg strength helps too. Build that up
.
Bought a Soupy's lowering link, and hubby and I brought the bike down a good inch and a smidge in the back, and lowered the front forks too, to compensate for bringing the back down.
I have absolutely no problems with turning or handling issues after messing with the bike's original height. In fact, I wish we had done it sooner!
Why? Because I found that being on tippy toe on an uneven surface like a hill, or a grade of some sort, made things tricky for a newb like myself to consider, especially when you're trying to set to memory all those other things that are supposed to keep you alive.
Consider the possibility of tipping over at an intersection that's located on a hill, with a slight grade to the side and uneven pavement. Add a touch of slippery gravel or wet under those tippy toes. Recipe for disaster in the beginning
! But once legs get stronger, and balance and confidence get better, it's not so much of a issue anymore. Your leg is much stronger when the foot is flat on the ground. On tippy toe, legs buckle easier under 300+ pounds of steel, and there is more tip angle to the bike before you reach the ground.
I tried the Honda 125. It's great, 'cause it's light. Even if you tip, it's not going to be as hard to recover. Cruisers are ok, but not everyone favours them
. My first bike was a Yamaha TW200, and we shaved the seat considerably. But I couldn't be happier with my Honda cbr250r. It looks cute lowered, too
.
Ok, I'll stop yakking. It's just that I've been there. Frustrated and looking for answers. Now I have some possible solutions, and I will share them happily!
Just to add like others have been saying -- flat-footing is probably a good thing as a new rider, but you quickly outgrow the need for it. I'm 5'8" with only a 29" inseam, so I could flat foot the CBR125 course bikes with no issues, but on my CBR250 (due to the seat being slightly higher and the bike being wider), I can either put toes down on both sides or flat foot one side and just lean the bike slightly. To be honest, when starting to ride this worried me, now it is entirely second nature.