So they were unrelated... I pushed my bike home sat. My bike kept cutting out (oil light, high beam light, tach cut out, all sorts of weird electrical stuff too) whenever it felt like it, then died altogeter. So i traced it to a bad ground.. the most important one... the connection to the neg terminal of the battery. It was kinda loose and pretty rusty as well. Turns out the undertail thingy was flopping around b/c a screw decided to back itself out... and the vibes of the mtcl must have worked the connection loose. A good cleaning and re-connecting makes for a great bike once again.

Kind of on a while I was at it basis, I tightened my chain. Now it shifts flawlessly. I dunno how a loose chain would contribute to bad shifting but it does make for fun wheelies! Ride safe everyone.