DIY Tire Change:
I have been changing most of my tires when I had the Shadow and figured I could do the same for the Nomad. It's a fairly simple job provided you have a lift or some means to raise the bike about 12-18". Gadget has excellent instructions on his web site for the removal and installation of the rear tire and front axle. Another useful site is here.
Below are a couple of picture of the process and a few observations.
I use a Larin lift which is a little wobbly with the heavy Nomad so make sure you block the wheels and tie down the bike.
I removed both bags and mufflers to make things easier as well as the bag supports and cross brace.
Remove the two bolts holding on the brake caliper and tie the caliper out of the way so it doesn't hang on the hose. This is a good time to check your brake pad condition.
Remove the front caliper bracket bolt and the axle cotter pin and castle nut.
Pull the axle back a bit and remove the caliper bracket. Don't loose the spacer behind the bracket!
Pull the axle out about 9" and pull the wheel to the right to get it off the splines. Up to this point, everything can be done with the wheel about 1/2" off the ground. To remove the wheel, jack the bike up as high as the lift will go and work the wheel out from under the fender. You'll have to pull the bottom out to tilt the wheel and it will come out without problem. By the way, there is no need to remove the shocks at any time.
There is another spacer inside the gear housing. Clean the splines and regrease before reinstalling.
Front wheel removal is fairly simple. I removed the calipers and fender and removal of the wheel is then simple. To remove the axle, I bought a 22mm socket and ground down a 2" piece of 1" alan wrench to fit. I tried the bolt with two nuts route but it did not work too well. The nuts kept working loose.
I made this donut (16-1/4" OD and 12" minimum ID) out of three pieces of 3/4" plywood to protect the brake rotors during the tire change.
Changing the tires was fairly simple using the same procedure and setup as I used for the Shadow.
I did not balance the tires. Several riders on the VRF recommended the Dyna Beads and I thought I'd give them a try. Turns out they work great and save a bunch of time. I poured the beads in through the valve which takes some patience but will work.
Re-installation is the reverse of removal. I used this setup (shop vac hose extension!) to torque the axle nut as I had no helper. To get the rear wheel back on the splines I found that the simplest way is to lower the lift (carefully so nothing catches!) until the wheel is within about 1/2" of its final position relative to the final drive. Sit on a 5 gal bucket on the left side of the bike. With your elbows on your knees and toes under the wheel, lift the wheel with your hands and toes, pulling it towards you. This way you can turn it slightly to align the splines and also stop the bike/lift from sliding on you. The wheel popped right on.
Reassemble everything and you're good to go again.