shift drum loose?

Hey guys, so i have a 81 kz750(E...I think..) I bought it about a couple months ago and have been enjoying riding it around but also working on it kindof as i go. (and lets just say there is definitely not a shortage of stuff that needs attention on this bike, but that comes with the territory of a 40yr old bike you bought for a few hundred bucks off marketplace) Everything has gone pretty well so far thanks almost entirely to this forum.  But the other day while out riding i was getting off the highway and noticed i couldnt shift down, i believe i was in 4th, thankfully i was almost back to the house so we limped it back to the garage. Ive read every article i could find on here trying to diagnose what was going on and i feel like its going to be bent fork.  But i took the cover off behind the front sprocket to have a look at the shift mech and all and noticed that 1) the shift drum has what seems to me as being alot of free "play" which i think is the cause of #2) the shift arm isnt fully engaging and not catching any of the pins. is this a symptom of bent fork(s) or is some type of collar or something missing from the end of the shift drum allowing it to move like it s or is that normal?

He most frequent cause of shifting problems is a broken return spring or pawl spring. However, if the drum has a lot of play, there may be a deeper problem.

Pages 180-184 in the fsm for the E1 covers the shift mechanism.

www.kzrider.com/modules/ServiceManuals/KZ750E1&H1.pdf

I see in the parts diagram that there is a locating screw (number 11). I wonder if slopification would occur if that was missing or loose?

www.partzilla.com/catalog/kawasaki/motor...chanism-80-kzy-50-e1

A view from the bottum (oil pan removed) and oil pan sludge tell you the truth.

 

I did end up dropping the oil pan yesterday and found that the guide bolt was in fact loose so I went to fix that issue and found that the needle bearing(?) had somehow slid down the shift drum I believe. I’ll attach a pic. Is there a way to get that back in place from where I am (bike on its side and oil pan/sprocket cover removed) or is this going to require more breakdown?

Damn, someone forgot to bend the lock washer. Looks like you have to split the case but what goes out easy goes in easy.
Try cooler spray to shrink the bearing and heat to expand the case. Good luck.