The Ducati 848 is a beautiful bike. There is no argument there. Yet, one aspect of the 848 makes the ride very uncomfortable, the undertail exhaust. It’s true that the 848 was made to race, but those of us who mainly ride on the street have to deal with traffic, which creates a large amount of heat that emanates from right under the seat. Combine the traffic with a very hot day and you will feel like you are sitting on top of a stove. Even in the notoriously cold “summer” weather of San Francisco, the heat does a number on my behind. Plus, it probably decreases my ability to have kids and we cannot have that.

So, how do you deal with this heat? Well, TPO Parts has a great solution. They offer an underseat insulation sheet that helps to reflect the heat away from your behind. It is made up of special heat-resistant mineral fibers that are coated with aluminum. According to TPO, it can withstand temperatures up to 1800 degrees F.

Before seeing this product in person, I expected this product to be installed under the seat. If you unbolt the seat from the bike, you will notice that the only thing between you and the exhaust piping is a thin piece of leather. I figured the best place to put insulation would be right under the seat. Instead, the insulation is placed under the tail of the bike, covering more of the rear. This made me a little apprehensive about the ability of this product to be effective. My pillion may be comfortable, but what about me? Well, the recent heat wave that hit the Bay Area provided the perfect testing conditions.

Before installing, I rode the 848 around town to see how high the temperature would rise in comparison to how much heat I felt. It went up to ~225 (is that high? not sure) degrees F before I was really uncomfortable. After installation, I matched this temperature reading and I was pleasantly surprised. The Undertail Insulation did not completely block the heat, but it was much more bearable. I felt the heat mostly at my legs and not at my behind. The TPO Undertail Insulation made a huge difference!

Now, there is one disadvantage to using this product. The installation requires more effort than most comfort mods and may not be worth the trouble if you can stand the heat. You can check out the installation process here. To install the undertail insulation sheet, you need to remove the exhaust and fender. So, if you are installing an aftermaket exhaust or a fender eliminator, putting in the Undertail Insulation will be no problem. It may be more work than usual for such a simple mod, but the difference is worth it. Your future children will thank you.

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