I took a test drive in a Superperformance before I purchased my beast and it had nice, pretty stainless steel heat shields. My friend had a bite mark that lasted for over a year. She was proud of it. One problem is that the shields make the pipe diameter larger, making it easier to get bitten. I usually wear Levi's and the couple of times I've brushed the sidepipes I've had no problems. When I wear shorts I make sure I step out just a little further. Also, I had my sidepipes ceramic coated, and that makes them run a tad cooler.
Rich