Yakima LightMate Number Plate Holder

This is a good quality product, but there is one simple mistake in production with big effect. The Yakima name sticker was upside down on product! If you follow the sticker, you will have opposite indicator turning on! I had to pull all cables out of guides and reverse the panel. Lights working correctly now, but Yakima name is upside down.2nd thing is that there is not enough information of dimensions when you want to buy online.3rd thing, if you go with VIC Road Bike rack number plates, the number plate lights on the product will be very far from number plate as the plate is small. I am not sure yet how effective will be those lights in this case, as I have not yet used at night.

The Yakima Light mate is fairly we constructed but a little flimsy (made of plastic) but it is light weight and well priced.I will need to add some steel backing to suit my own needs but that said, we knew what we were purchasing and are very happy with all aspects of our purchase. 99 Bikes were very helpful and cheaper then other outlets selling the same item. They get 5 stars from me accordingly.

A great concept to be

A great concept to be safe and avoid being fined by the police but fails in its execution. The board itself is very flimsy and one of the plastic mounting pieces for the number plate broke as I hand tightened it. The board has Velcro straps with plastic buckles on the end to mount to the frame of a bike on your rack. One of the plastic buckles has already broken after snugging it up tight enough to stop it rattling around but not overly so. Can't see this product lasting a long time.

Broken lense upon arrival

The lights themselves are great. When I opened the package I could here a rattle and as it turned out one of the lenses had a piece broken off the size of a 20 cent piece. I sent an email off to let Annaconda know and received an email a week later asking me to take it back or post back for an inspection. By that time it was too late as I needed it for my holiday. There was no stock close by so I just covered the hole with tape.I sent another email saying what I had done and asked for a partial credit or refund but received nothing back and that was 2 weeks ago.

Enhanced safety when carrying bikes

What's good: This is a light weight unit, that attaches easily with large strong Velcro (hook and loop) straps that are provided. It should be easy to mount this on most bike racks and it will not damage the bikes. The lamps are standard items used on trailers. They are bright and illuminate the number plate as well. Mounting your accessory number plate this way prevents it from being bent as is possible if it mounted directly on the bike rack. What could be improved: The lamps use incandescent bulbs, there are many better LED options available now. Mine came with the left and right indicators wired incorrectly. My solution was mounting the number plate and using the unit up-side-down. It makes no functional difference, only the Yakima logo is now also up-side-down ... MoreWhat's good: This is a light weight unit, that attaches easily with large strong Velcro (hook and loop) straps that are provided. It should be easy to mount this on most bike racks and it will not damage the bikes. The lamps are standard items used on trailers. They are bright and illuminate the number plate as well. Mounting your accessory number plate this way prevents it from being bent as is possible if it mounted directly on the bike rack. What could be improved: The lamps use incandescent bulbs, there are many better LED options available now. Mine came with the left and right indicators wired incorrectly. My solution was mounting the number plate and using the unit up-side-down. It makes no functional difference, only the Yakima logo is now also up-side-down (I had already run the cables and did not want to spend the time swapping the lamps around). Conclusion: This is something I highly recommend purchasing. It will improve your safety when bikes have obscured the brake lights and indicators on your vehicle.

Nearly great, just needs more attention to detail

this unit is pretty well built for the price, and comes with everything you need to assemble it. I broke one of the numberplate holder nut encasements due to enthusiastic over tightening (by hand!), so be a little gentle! I'd like to see a better engineered solution for the actual strapping that holds the device to a bike/rack, as it offers no ability to move the straps horizontally to fix at a relevant point. I'm also not sure I like trusting a little strip of velcro to consistently hold this on at speed, over bumps, other normally found road conditions. Having said this, I've been able to compromise and find ways to mount it, and it hasn't fallen off. time will tell how the velcro stands up I guess.. The blinkers were reversed to normal 7 pin wiring as well (I ... Morethis unit is pretty well built for the price, and comes with everything you need to assemble it. I broke one of the numberplate holder nut encasements due to enthusiastic over tightening (by hand!), so be a little gentle! I'd like to see a better engineered solution for the actual strapping that holds the device to a bike/rack, as it offers no ability to move the straps horizontally to fix at a relevant point. I'm also not sure I like trusting a little strip of velcro to consistently hold this on at speed, over bumps, other normally found road conditions. Having said this, I've been able to compromise and find ways to mount it, and it hasn't fallen off. time will tell how the velcro stands up I guess.. The blinkers were reversed to normal 7 pin wiring as well (I drive a 2019 Nissan Navara..pretty standard), but easy to fix.

Pretty good

A little fiddly to put together, and plastic feels fairly thin. Be sure not to over-torque. Once put together, the length is great --not too long and awkward. To avoid scuffing any bike paint, I prefer to strap the board to the wheels.

Some quality control issues

Some general assembly required which is not too difficult. However, as noted by others the lights are wired in the opposite way around than they should be. Best to check this before you cut out one of 4 tabs for guiding the wiring away. You will need to decide if you want to change the lights around (30 mins) or simply hang it upside down and turn logo sticker around (10 mins). Not sure how waterproof the light units are. They do have a tongue and groove but no rubber seals. And, there is no claim that they are waterproof, so will see how they go.

Yakima LightMate Number Plate Holder with Lights | Bike Rack Plate Holder

M6 8mm Screw only received 1 screw, washer and,nutM6 14mm Screw only received 2,screws,washers, and nutsvery frustrating as I needed for the weekend hence going to the local hardware store

Yakima LightMate Number Plate Holder with Lights | Bike Rack Plate Holder

It's a good size "light bar" but for the price would like to see led lights and a system that would be adaptable to Yakima products.How much do you trust Velcro and plastic rubbing against a bike.