Yamaha Tracer – Neutral Switch Problem

My bike is a 2017 Tracer. As of end May 2025 the bike has done 140 km short of 195,000 kilometers.

To comrades whose bikes do not display gear number(s) (N/1/2/3/4/5/6) on the dashboard meter, there are three possible remedies:

1) Open the Neutral Switch and clean the seven copper sensor contacts there.

2) Replace the Neutral Switch with a new one.

3) Repair the Neutral Switch.

I’ve done number 1, i.e. clean the contacts. Problem still persisted. At gear 6, the meter won’t display it. It displayed initially, but after some time it’s gone. My theory is that it’s temperature or heat-related.

I’ve done number 2 as well, replacing the switch at 134,000 km in July 2022 because of no N indicator.

But starting 190,000 km in March 2026 that switch failed to display gear 6. So the switch had lasted only 56,000 km.

Based on a 28 November 2023 WhatsApp post in a Malaysian Tracer group, and on a few YouTube videos, I braved myself to open all side panels of the bike, lifted up the fuel tank, disconnected the neutral switch’s two connector plugs underneath the tank, and unscrewed the switch taking it off the engine body.

On one side of the switch are seven circular copper contacts, six of same size and one of smaller size. The smaller size contact is for Neutral. The other six are for the six gears 1 though 6.

Gear positions represented by the circular copper sensors.

The Neutral Switch on the engine body.

On the other side of the switch is a black silicon-like dried rubber, sealing within it wires from the plug connectors soldered on terminal point of each copper contacts.

The whole Neutral Switch. This was the one I replaced in July 2022 at odometer 134,000 km because of no N gear display. This side of the switch contains six big circular copper sensors for gears 1 to 6 and one small sensor for Neutral, went into the engine body.

The Neutral Switch taken out. This is the black silicone rubber side. The pit mark is where I poked it with a screwdriver to confirm that it was soft rubber.

I dug out the silicone until all wires are exposed.

Then with just a little force 6 gear wires detached easily and cleanly from the copper poles with no solder remaining on the poles.

The N wire initially remained stuck to its poles no matter what I did, but it broke off later on.

All six gear wires separated cleanly off their copper poles. Make sure you take a correct note of what wire color went to what pole position. If you make a mistake here, your gear indicator will be haywire.

All cleaned up.

It looked like the gear non-display problem was due to dry joints. The wires did not have a good bond with the copper poles.

I scraped out all the silicone and cleaned the area of its remnants.

Then I put a bit of solder flux (paste) on all seven copper poles and all seven wire tips.

Then I separately placed solders on the poles and wire tips.

Ready. Cleaned Neutral Switch, soldering iron, solder wire, solder flux paste.

It’s handy to have clamps to hold steady the switch body for soldering. They hold the solder object firmly, freeing up your hands to concentrate on soldering.

After the poles and wire tips all have solders on them, then only I brought a wire tip to its copper pole and soldered them together. And I did the same for all the wire tip-pole pairs.

All done, I mated the switch’s two connectors back to their sockets underneath the fuel tank, inserted the switch into its place on the engine body and tightened its two screws.

Solder beads placed on the seven copper poles.

All soldering done.

 

Put the Neutral Switch back to the bike for testing.

I disconnected this wire to confirm what gear position it signaled. It was gear 6.

I turned on the ignition switch without starting the engine, the display lighted up, and the N gear indicator came up.

I pulled the clutch lever and changed the gears 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, all the while observing the gear number display on the meter.

I did a couple more gear change tests to confirm the results.

Satisfied, I took out the switch from it place on the engine body, filled the wire cavity with a high temperature black silicone rubber.

After letting the silicone dried overnight, I put back the switch to its place and repeated the static gear change tests. Success.

I then put all the panels back in and took the bike out for a 145-kilometer 2-hour test ride.

Gear indicators N, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 all functioned flawlessly. Alhamdulillah.