Exhaust appears to stay cool enough not to take your skin off. It’s winter now, but to be fair definitely no heat shield required!
I built it light ‘cos I’m getting old and weak, (70 next) I don’t want it pinning me down to the ground .
I can pick it up both wheels clear of the deck which is more than I can say for my Jimmy James (photo)
Pffft! Mine burns straight through my trousers and I can only lift one wheel off the ground at a time