Pro Moto Billet (PMB) of Boise, Idaho specializes in manufacturing professional high quality billet aluminum products for the off road community. They specialize in such things as cargo racks "RACK-IT", kickstands "KICK-IT", spark arrestors"ENDO's" , DISC GUARDS, and other durable accessories for a wide array of dirt bikes.

Of particular interest to the Cannondale owner is the sleek looking universal left handed Shark Fin part# (LH-SHARKFIN) for $34.95. Manufactured by Pro Moto Billet this shark fin is CNC machined out of lightweight durable 6061-T6 billet aluminum for maximum strength and reliability.

When I received the PMB fin in the mail I opened the package up and the first thing I noticed was how nice looking this shark fin is. It is an absolute work of art. One interesting thing is that the machined aluminum is rounded not only on the front side but on the back side as well. It looks as good from the back as it does from the front and Pro Moto Billet's attention to detail is obvious.

The next thing I noticed about this shark fin was how light it was. For being roughly 7" long, 4" high and 1/2" thick I expected it to weight a bit more than it felt. So not to be fooled I took it to my nearest grocery store and had them put it on their electronic scale. If the stores scale was accurate it was only .54 lbs still in the package as pictured above with the two screws. PMB says the actual weight is only .42lbs. That's only about 6.7 ounces. Not bad for the protection it could offer your vulnerable brake rotor.

So the big question. Does it fit on a Cannondale dirt bike? In less than 5 minutes I had an answer. I opened the package and tried to match up any of the five holes provided for installation. To my surprise, the first and third holes line up perfectly with the threaded holes on my Cannondale E440 Nissin brake caliper.

I immediately grabbed my 4mm Allen wrench for the two screws, a bit of blue loctite so the screws stay put and I bolted it on the bike with ease. Not a single problem, hitch or modification needed at all. It flat out fit and looked great.

Once I secured the fin in place I grabbed it with both hands and tugged on it to see how it felt attached to the bike. I pulled and pushed on it very firmly and it was rock solid. It felt like it was part of the bike as if it was welded on.

I then proceeded to take a couple rough measurements to find out how well the PMB fin fits in relation to the brake rotor. Looking from the rear of the bike, I measured the gap between the rotor and the back of the fin and came up with 5/8". I think 5/8" is a little bit wide due to the possibility of sticks or other debris getting in between the fin and rotor. But on the other hand, 5/8" gives a much less chance of the fin rubbing on the rotor incase it was hit hard enough to bend and it allows for better mud cleaning.

Then I measured from the bottom of the rotor to the bottom of the fin and the fin extends approximately 1" below the brake rotor. At first I thought it extended a little more than it probably should. But it's not bad at all. A person could easily use a round file and slot the first and third mounting holes and that would raise the fin another 1/4" higher.

Overall, the universal left handed shark fin by Pro Moto Billet is a solid winner for Cannondale owners. I did a 45 mile ride with creek crossings, peg deep ruts and a few hairy high speed rock climbs with this fin and it has worked great. Not a single problem. It was still solidly secured and still looked great after taking a little beating. The rounded design really helps with ejecting the mud too.

Pro Moto Billet has an excellent product here and I can't think of a single reason why a Cannondale owner shouldn't consider this product for their rig. It looks great, works great, is very light, and is fairly inexpensive especially for the protection it offers. With a high quality protective device like this fin it gives me an added secure feeling knowing it is protecting my rear brake rotor from unexpected impacts that could easily ruin an expensive rotor. It's one less thing to worry about and it's cheap insurance that no one should be without. Plus it looks awesome!

Pro Moto Billet first started in the industry 4 years ago when Mechanical Engineer Lynn Hodges came up with the great idea to build a light weight durable cargo rack. The first cargo rack for Lynn's XR600 worked out so well he decided to keep building them for other models and that led to them building other dirt bike accessories. Their business goal is to build the highest quality part possible and also make it look like a work of art.

I think they have succeeded.

Jim Schneringer (email)

UPDATE: (September 30th, 2002) I have had the Pro Moto Billet Rear Disc Guard "Shark Fin" installed on my E440 for over 4 months now. Since the initial review I have put over 400 miles with it on my bike and I must say the PMB Fin is one solid product. Just the other day I grabbed it with both hands and it is so securely attached to the bike I could lift the bike by the fin. In the four months I have been bashing it around it hasn't needed tighting and is still solidily attached. It does have a few minor dings, dents and scratches so I know it has been getting knocked around. Better the guard get beat up than your rear brake rotor. What is amazing is with the wipe of a damp cloth the fin looks a like it did when I first removed it from the package. I'm completely satisfied with the quaility, the strength, the looks and the protection it offers. WTG PMB!

Click on the PMB logos on this page to check out the fin and look for their new Cannondale exhaust products while your there.

Jim Schneringer