How To Add License Plate Lights To The Yakima PlateMate Licesne Plate Holder For Bike Racks

Question:

1. How does one attach the plate, holder, and light together? Does the plate attach to the holder using the plastic bolts, which then attaches to the light? Or does one use longer bolts to attach all three together. After that, does one use the hook/loop straps to attach the holder to the outer most bike? 2. How do the electrical connections work? I have a 7 pin connector on my SUV, but am not entirely sure how to connector the light? Would it connect to the battery feed pin 4 and the ground connection pin 7? Also, is there a connector that I can use between the light and hitch 7 pin electrical connector? Thanks!

asked by: Ankur S

Helpful Expert Reply:

Hardware is not included for the Optronics LED Trailer License Plate Light w/ Bracket - 5 Diodes - Clear Lens
Item # LPL55CB, but you can make a trip to the local hardware store and pick up some bolts and nuts to secure the license plate, light bracket, and Yakima PlateMate License Plate Holder # Y02713 together. 2 bolts hold everything together and secure the whole setup; the bolt holes measure 5/16" so you will want to get bolts that are no bigger than 5/16" and make sure to get bolts long enough to reach through all 3 things. Then you can use the straps included with the Yakima PlateMate to secure it all to your bike at the back of your bike rack.

For wiring the license plate light, I recommend adding Mighty Cord 7-Way RV-Style Trailer Connector w/ Molded Cable - Trailer End - 6' Long # A10-7W6 to your vehicle's 7-way plug. This will give you 7 bare wires in which you can run 2 of the wires to the license plate light. Connect the running light / taillight wire from the 7-way to the black wire on the license plate light and connect the 7 way's ground wire to the white wire on the license plate light. You will want to use a circuit tester such as # PTW2993 in order to determine the function of each wire. It may vary on your vehicle, but typically the ground wire is the 7 O'clock position and the tail / running light is the 11 O'clock position as seen in the attached wiring diagram. I attached several demonstration videos for you to check out.

expert reply by: Andrew N