first off this is with my 01 929. I came out of a corner hard and ran through the gears shifting around 10,500rpm. then after that I just let off the gas and engine braked down to 65-70mph. I cruised there for about 10-15 seconds then started slowing to take the next turn. while slowing I downshifted (didn't really pay attention to how long I held the clutch in between downshifts, maybe a little long) and when I went to release the clutch to engage 2nd gear, there was a loud squealing and the bike seemed to bog (or like there was resistance) so I pulled in the clutch and rolled to a stop. the bike had shut off. I tried starting it in neutral, it started hard and the squealing started instantly. I shut it off immediately. I checked all the gears while it was off (put it in gear and tried to roll forward and reverse) and it free rolls in neutral easily so I don't think it's my tranny. so...what's your opinion? my first thought was the little ball and the clutch push rod had welded together. I haven't taken it apart to diagnose the problem yet, just seeing if anyone else has had the same symptoms and what actually happened to their bikes.

 

from a car guy sounds like a spun bearing but not sure about the bikes. they have bearings same as a car right??

 

When I 1st read this this i thought of the clutch rod, which you already mentioned, they are made out of a light alloy, but their in line strength is pretty good, the Old Kwaka 900's used to bust a few from time to time, if you ignored the freeplay adjustment. But the clutch on the Honda is a whole lot more sophisticated than that, but there are still some roller bearings involved.
When you change down to far for bike & engine speed, you usually lock the rear wheel, which can cause rear wheel & the engine can die in the ****.
It can also puts a big strain on sprockets, which in turn (bad pun) does put strain on your transmission. but in my youger days and lack of experience, did this sort of thing heaps of times, and only ended up with mild gravel rash, and the bike's, minus a few layers of paint usually survived.
1st thing though, drain some oil, see if there is any debris (metal flakes or material) see if you can rule out clutch bearings and plate failure.
Good luck

 

yeah that's the plan, I'm gonna drain the oil and pull the cover off to see what the clutch looks like. thanks for the replies guys