New member here. I picked up a '21 KRX 1000 in mean green last week. I'm making it street legal for the occasions I need it to be so.
My state requires a lighted license plate, no closer than 12 inches to the ground (measured to the bottom). To meet this requirement, I purchased the optional LED license plate bracket that can come with the XTC turn signal kit. I decided to go with the XTC kit, although it's expensive, because of the extensive use of the OEM wiring harnesses and the cool-guy self-cancelling turn signals. Editorial note: I love this kit. The install went swimmingly. It's no fun to take apart the console and cupholder, but once that is done, it went together pretty easily. Great kit, and I highly recommend it.
Now, to the license plate holder. It bothers me that there doesn't appear to be a good solution to this problem out there (maybe there is and I missed it). Because I was buying the XTC kit, I went for the optional LED bracket they sell. This kit, though adequate, leaves a lot to be desired. It's a plate holder with two wires coming out the back and that's about it. Installation instructions? "Tap into some 12v wires that are hot when the lights are on and attach them to the wires we give you. Good luck buddy!" At least, that's my take on it. It would be nice if they would engineer a license plate holder solution that matches the rest of the kit. <rant over>
I decided to tap the black and brown wires from the XTC wiring harness that plugs into the driver's side rear stop light. YMMV, but the black was ground and the brown was +12v when the lights are on. Once that was decided, I had to snake the wires down to the license plate holder, which I decided to mount near the bottom of the metal just behind the lower part of the engine. Here's a photo of where I decided to put the holes in the frame:
![3584]()
When mounted here, the bottom of the plate is about 14 1/2 inches above ground, adequate for my state.
I removed the heat-shrink tubing on the XTC wiring harness at the driver's side light plug, and then used this approach to splice in my wires. I used 18 gauge wire because that's what they had at the auto parts store. A smaller gauge would have sufficed.
![3585]()
![3587]()
![3588]()
![3589]()
I plugged it in and tested it (blue tinge from the LEDs)
![3590]()
Time to finish this install.
I bought some braided wire loom to protect the wires. The auto parts store only had 3/4 inch loom, which is bigger than required, but that's all they had, so it sufficed. If available, I would have bought the 3/8 inch loom instead.
It bothered me that the LED license plate bracket had two flimsy wires out the back for the LED, so I covered those wires with shrink tubing to protect them a little better:
![3591]()
I snaked the red and black wires, with the loom, down the frame and into the area above the license plate holder.
![3595]()
Then I attached the wires and put shrink tubing around them:
![3596]()
Several zip ties later, and the install was complete:
![3598]()
The blue tinge is from the LEDs; not bright in the photo, but plenty bright in real life.
I didn't use solder on the wires because I'm lazy. I'm relying on a solid mechanical connection, good electrical tape, and shrink tubing. If you are a worrier, go for the solder
I hope to be a contributing member to this forum. I thought I'd share my experience with this install and how I chose to solve the problem. I'm learning and trying to get better, and appreciate any and all feedback.
My state requires a lighted license plate, no closer than 12 inches to the ground (measured to the bottom). To meet this requirement, I purchased the optional LED license plate bracket that can come with the XTC turn signal kit. I decided to go with the XTC kit, although it's expensive, because of the extensive use of the OEM wiring harnesses and the cool-guy self-cancelling turn signals. Editorial note: I love this kit. The install went swimmingly. It's no fun to take apart the console and cupholder, but once that is done, it went together pretty easily. Great kit, and I highly recommend it.
Now, to the license plate holder. It bothers me that there doesn't appear to be a good solution to this problem out there (maybe there is and I missed it). Because I was buying the XTC kit, I went for the optional LED bracket they sell. This kit, though adequate, leaves a lot to be desired. It's a plate holder with two wires coming out the back and that's about it. Installation instructions? "Tap into some 12v wires that are hot when the lights are on and attach them to the wires we give you. Good luck buddy!" At least, that's my take on it. It would be nice if they would engineer a license plate holder solution that matches the rest of the kit. <rant over>
I decided to tap the black and brown wires from the XTC wiring harness that plugs into the driver's side rear stop light. YMMV, but the black was ground and the brown was +12v when the lights are on. Once that was decided, I had to snake the wires down to the license plate holder, which I decided to mount near the bottom of the metal just behind the lower part of the engine. Here's a photo of where I decided to put the holes in the frame:
When mounted here, the bottom of the plate is about 14 1/2 inches above ground, adequate for my state.
I removed the heat-shrink tubing on the XTC wiring harness at the driver's side light plug, and then used this approach to splice in my wires. I used 18 gauge wire because that's what they had at the auto parts store. A smaller gauge would have sufficed.
I plugged it in and tested it (blue tinge from the LEDs)
Time to finish this install.
I bought some braided wire loom to protect the wires. The auto parts store only had 3/4 inch loom, which is bigger than required, but that's all they had, so it sufficed. If available, I would have bought the 3/8 inch loom instead.
It bothered me that the LED license plate bracket had two flimsy wires out the back for the LED, so I covered those wires with shrink tubing to protect them a little better:
I snaked the red and black wires, with the loom, down the frame and into the area above the license plate holder.
Then I attached the wires and put shrink tubing around them:
Several zip ties later, and the install was complete:
The blue tinge is from the LEDs; not bright in the photo, but plenty bright in real life.
I didn't use solder on the wires because I'm lazy. I'm relying on a solid mechanical connection, good electrical tape, and shrink tubing. If you are a worrier, go for the solder
I hope to be a contributing member to this forum. I thought I'd share my experience with this install and how I chose to solve the problem. I'm learning and trying to get better, and appreciate any and all feedback.
