These covers came about with the advent of the Panigale.
Before that there were no covers but still plenty of heat........ a lot of heat, if not more! If you were a Ducati fan, this was never a problem or an issue, it was just a Ducati trait along with a whole list of different quirks like electronics and starting problems. But no one really cared, they just loved the bikes for its looks, V-twin engineering and sound. It was a brand you loved and if you didn't like it or get on with it, get something else!
Then came the Panigale which took off and became very popular with booming sales. Everyone was like "I want one of them". As more and more people bought the bike, coming from other brands, these quirks and characteristics weren't so easily tolerated. People had an expectation. They were paying top dollar and these issues weren't seen as acceptable. But to me, a bit old school, it was no issue. With that came the recall to 'fix' the issue and keep the masses happy and sales moving so as not to put any potential new customers off and the covers have been there ever since.
Maybe a bit of Audi engineering too!
