I'm bumping this thread back up for more comments.
Does the stretch cruiser start to fatigue your lower back or even force your stomach into doing a continual "crunch." I've been riding a Mtn Bike for so long that I've forgotten what a standard cruiser feels like, so I can only guess how a stretched cruiser rides. I'm 6'03" which usually means a tall frame (23/24") with the seat post run up pretty high. With my rear in the air, it puts more weight on my upper body, which starts to ache before my legs are tired of peddling.
In theory, the stretched cruisers would let me sit lower, almost like a recumbent. I can tell that peddling would be less efficient, and feel weird at least at first, but for motor-assisted biking (and with a 36T crank), maybe it'd be the ticket. My only fear is that I might be forced to lean back, while also leaning forward to reach the bars, and I'm not sure that a motorcyle backrest would look good on a stretched bicycle.
While I'm narrowing down my final decisions on engine size for a GEBE kit, I'm also trying to decide which bike I want to buy. At this point, the choices are a Felt 1903, a Worksman Industrial, or a GT/Schwinn stretched cruiser. The first two are premium bikes, and already have 12 and 11g spokes, so you DO get what you pay for with the higher end cruisers. The larger Worksman frame is only 20" though, so I've almost eliminated it, as much as I hate to. I haven't researched the Felt sizes yet. Maybe a custom frame with Worksman wheels (w/ drum brakes) would be the way to go.
Has anyone out there cracked to code to long distance comfort----------especially us vertically burdened guys?