sv650sk3 - shift lever loose while in 4th gear...

tried looking around a bit for this issue but no luck, so my problem summarized is that after i shift into 4th the shifter feels loose to my foot, shifting to 5th is possible after attempting to upshift once or twice. the shifter tightens up like normal after the attempt(s) and works fine.

no issues downshifting and getting into all the other gears is completely normal. anyone know what might be the cause of this? thanks in adv.