The low seat setup was not part of the orignal K design. Its more of an afterthought in design terms. The low seat does not work with side covers so the purpose of the tank surround is to cover up some of the "junk" like the fuse block and rear brake reservoir.
OK, I get that. That part makes sense. My question is why did they have to design it so the seat does not go all the way to the tank? You would think that if you have shorter legs, you might have shorter arms too.