(Help)...Strange Vibrations :(

[clayton]

Ok....
I am getting ready to put the Nomad on the jack so prior to doing so I want to post this so as I might get some feed back as to what to look for...
Here is the situation...
Today my wife and I were out and about on the Nomad taking in some of this nice weather...
We probably drove about 100 miles and about 20 minutes before we got home I was going around this bend and noticed a strange vibration as I took the curve.
It went away as soon as the bike went level again.
So at this point I started swerving to the left and right and each time I did so the vibrations returned.
I continued this until I got home to try to determine where it is coming from.
Once we arrived at home I had the wife jump off and I proceeded around my neighborhood doing the swervy thingy and it still is vibrating when doing so but not nearly as bad.
So obviously it is more pronounced with a passenger which kinda leads me to believe it is coming from the read end or frame.
I did a real quick check of the front tire for movement...nothing.
I did the same with the rear but did not feel anything.
So I am about to pop her up and check some things.
Any advice would be great for a starting point.
Thanks

To Add...
The Nomad is up...I feel nothing loose in the front tire nor the rear tire as if bearing were going.
I grabbed the swingarm while holding the bike and tried to move it in any direction that would have given me some play and nothing.
Prior to going to the Dragon on the 14th I had replaced my Stone with a Metzler Marathon and prior to re-assembly I added some more grease in and around the wheel bearings and place some poly grease on the splines.
I am confident that it all went back together or I feel I would have found out much sooner had I not.
I am going to now check all bolts on the frame and rear end assembly to be sure they are all tight.
Could the new Metzler tire be causing the vibrations since it is now (in a manner of speaking) wore in?
Thanks

One more item....
Today prior to our ride I aired up the shocks to about 35 pounds and turned the rebound dampners back down to 2, while on the trip and with load I had placed it on 4.

So far all bolts are tight...

[MAS Tequila]

Where did you feel the vibes, handlebars, floorboards, seat?

It does make a difference.

MT

[macmac]

How many miles over all?

Ever see that U Joint?

To see side to side slop, be on the right side (as seated) Pull hard on the swing arm to you, then shove it the other way. After you do that a few times to get the feel watch the spacer appear as you push, and disappear as you pull. To find it locate the plastic cap over the swingarn long bolt. It has to move and have slop since every Nomad does.

And yeah if that tire is made in Brazil........ Look at the tire harder. Set up some cement blocks and a stick sharpened to a point. At first set the stick at the area where the side wall neets the read, about the corner if it were a car tire. I know it isn't a car tire, but am trying to set up the indicator.

Create the air gap at about 1/4 inch and turn the wheel. If the tire runs closer mark that with tape or chalk or a crayon. Move the pointer in more at the HIGH Spot, and turn the tire again, estimating any larger air gap.

Do this again on the other side.

If the tire has bad belts or is just out of round this should tell it.

If you have a dial indicator use that instead.

[clayton]

Mac
I yanked on the swing arm pretty hard yet I can not tell if there is slop or even play.
I do have an dial indicator and will do this next on the tire, it is the German Made one but will check just the same.

[macmac]

Push it away then, Pad a big screw drive well and stick it between the frame and the swing arm and lever the swing arm away. Then look to see the spacker poking out from under the swing arm seal. Then pull the SA back.

yeah A German made tool is gonna be a great tool use it.

[clayton]

Ok
Mac, I did the dial indicator but honestly didnt see too much in the lines of it being REALLY drastic.
I tested this in 4 spots.
Each side where the side wall meets the thread (about 1/4" from thread)
Then I placed it just on the outside tread area where the tire would not normall contact the road running level.
The most I saw in "run out" was about .010.
I also started the bike on the stand and placed it into 1st then slowly released clutch and "eye balled" the tire on both sides.
Again I did not see too much in the lines of wobble up/down/left/right.
As per the swingarm...this sucker must be pretty tight because I pushed and pulled until I was blue in the face and I can not feel slop....?
I am going to put her back together and keep an extreme close eye on it to see if it gets worse.
To answer the milage question the bike only has about 8500 miles on it and is an 08 1600 Nomad

[ringadingh]

I was going to suggest checking for a bad belt in the tire but seems youve already done that.
The bike should have warranty at that age with those mile, Id let the dealer take a look at it.

[macmac]

Tire seems ok.... 7,500 is the book spec for the swing arm.. The seals have gotta be worn, maybe not worn out, but worn enough for some play. A bike on the show room floor is gonna have play.

If you have none I gotta wonder.

I was a tad late too, ran to 9,000 so I could do a tire and the swing arm. The long bolt was rusted almost tight to the spacers. no damnned grease in thar!

This bike has a good U joint, but my 01 did not... I know of other bikes that did not too. The factory screwed up greasing the U Joints..

That 1/4 inch is make sure the instrument isn't battered be it a stick with a brick or a dial indicator.. I can't know who has what tooling ya know... Some guys have a little, while other guys have a lot. There could have been 3/4" out, if a bad belt was discovered.

[schoeney]

Clayton,

Could this be as simple as a cupped tire? I had the OEM Brikstones on and at about 12,000 it started vibrating/buzzing in the turns. I could have sworn it was coming from the front end but I bought a new rear tire (E3) and no more vibration/buzz.

When looking at the Brickstone it was hard to tell it was cupped.

[dougster]

I agree with Schoeney. My first thought was that it is cupping of the tire. My tires did the exact same thing. I replaced the rear, and it became far less, and when I replace my front this week, I expect the "roar" to be gone completely.

[ringadingh]

On my last Metzeler the tire looked ok on the outside, but when I had it off the bike and ran my hand inside it, you could feel and see a broken belt on the inside of the casing.
Plus ME880's are known to be a noisey tire in the corners, the more they are worn the noisier they get.

[clayton]

Well guys....
It is still a mystery..... :-/

As per the tire cupping I looked carefully at the front tire which is still the OEM Stone and did not see anything out of the ordinary.

Before putting everything back together I drained all of the air in both rear shocks and then refilled them while on the jack.
I then rotated the dampener wheels several clicks and put it back to where it was prior to my Dragon trip which sets now at #2.
Once I put her back together I took her out for about 30 minutes.
At 1st I thought I felt the vibration but after a few more curves and swerves I could no longer feel the previous vibes...
Earlier that day I was messing around with the air pressure and dampeners without it being raised off of the ground.
I'm speculating that since I did not raise the rear end that maybe I didn't get the proper air pressure and that possibly the dampeners (for lack of better words) got STUPID.
Prior to the vibrations starting I do remember hitting some nasty little potholes and road abnormalities so maybe just maybe the shocks as said above got STUPID...
I am going to keep a good eye on this to see if it comes back and if it does then I will pull the rear end and do the swing arm maintenance just to eliminate that issue.
Otherwise when the cold weather hits this year I will tear her apart and do the swing arm while I have some down time.
Thanks for all of the replies

[AlabamaNomadRider]

Clayton, sounds like you may have solved your problem. I sure hope so anyway.