there was one time i wanted to buy this gixxer 750. i wanted to run it by the gear to make sure the tranny is OK. not sure he was being an a$$ or not (being a Harley mechanic and all) or just didn't wnat me to sit on the bike while idling. he claimed you damage the tranny going thru the gears w/o any load. again, i dunno if there truth in this as I didn't bother checking (and was pissed off since I drop like 50 miles one way to see the freaking bike).
then again, if you're coming to a stop and just forgot to downshift, i wouldn't worry about it. i've done that many a times on my cbr f4, 750 and 1098. heck eve on my fzr400 when i was coming into the pits and too lazy to downshift. actually some even don't bother downshifting until they get to the light to reduce any kind of clutch and engine wear too (since you do get a little engine braking depending on the revs)
"Leaders are like tea; put them in hot water to find out how strong they are." Anonymous