Is the new Yamaha adventure thing actually a scooter or a motorcycle?

The licensing question is the easy part: it's registered as a motorcycle, not a scooter. Licensing categories are based on engine capacity and power output, not whether the frame is step-through or not. The bodywork doesn't matter to the licensing authority at all. So if you currently only hold the license for a 125, you'll need to do your full test (or the intermediate category, depending on your age and where you live) before riding it. Check what the exact displacement is on the spec sheet, because that determines which license tier it lands in where you are. As for what it actually is, I'd call it a big scooter with adventure bits bolted on, and honestly that's not an insult. The automatic transmission is the whole point of these things. You get the long-travel suspension and chunky wheels of a small ADV but none of the clutch management on technical gravel. For graded forest roads and fire trails, that setup is genuinely good. I wouldn't take it on rocky singletrack or deep sand, but that's not what you're describing.

On seat height, don't judge from launch photos. Big wheels and tall-looking bodywork make these things look way higher than they are. The scooter layout actually works in your favor here because there's no frame-mounted tank between your knees pushing everything upward, so the mass sits low and the seat usally sits lower than an equivalent conventional bike. Go sit on one at a dealer before you commit. That's the only answer that matters for the flat-footing-at-lights worry.

One thing to brace yourself for coming off a 125: the weight. These machines are heavy, and even with a friendly seat height you'll feel it the first time you park on a slight camber. The automatic box hides it while riding, but not while wheeling it around a car park. If your gravel roads are reasonably smooth, it should suit you well. If they get rutted, I'd test ride one on something rough before buying.

That point about the weight while parking is spot on. I came off a small commuter and moved to one of these big-wheeled scooters a couple years back, and the first week I nearly dropped it wheeling it into my garage on a slope. Riding it is a dream, the automatic box makes gravel almost relaxing, but I still plan my parking spots so the side stand is on the uphill side. Worth practising slow walking-speed balance in an empty lot before your first commute, it builds the confidence fast.

Following this with interest as I'm in a similar spot but coming the other way, sort of. I ride a small geared trail bike now and keep wondering if going automatic would actually make the gravel section more fun or just feel strange after years of using the clutch on loose stuff. One thing I didn't see mentioned yet, and I could be wrong since I'm new here, but don't these big wheel scooters use odd tyre sizes? A mate with one said replacements cost more and shops sometimes need to order them in, which matters more if you're actually riding rough back roads and wearing them quicker.

Update: the licensing reply sorted that part out for me, so at least I know the step-through thing doesn't change what licence I need. Still stuck on the practical side though. The post about nearly dropping one wheeling it up a slope hit home because my driveway is exactly like that. Did the wobbly phase pass quickly, or do you still have to plan every parking move?