Maybe you got a stone in your fender on that section of gravel road you were talking about..

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I live in Illinois. We don't believe in paving roads until there is more potholes than smooth areas!

But seriously, not really. One road on my commute is a "rough grooved surface" being prepped for repaving. However, I rode over this many many times without any issue. Probably 5 miles each way for 10-15 commutes. I checked my tire just before my 400 mile trip and it was clear of issues. That includes the gravel road just a few days prior to my trip. These spots only showed up after my trip, and there wasn't anything unusual about the roads we were on. The only difference from my normal riding is sustained high (90+) speed.

I aired up my tire to the recommended PSI by Kawasaki just before the trip.

The spots are all in a line, symmetrical to the center of the tire. I only checked half the tire, and it was consistent on that half. I assume it's consistent all the way around.

When riding in the passenger seat, I didn't notice any change to how it rode. No shaking or floating feeling.

The retailer wants another day to evaluate the warranty...than 3 days shipping...then an appointment to mount the tire.
Why can't it rain THIS week?

Every manufacturing process for just about everything imaginable pops a lemon out every so often. I like Shenko tires. I use the 230 Tour Masters on mine and I've never had an issue. Shenko is a Japanese owned company that manufactures in South Korea.

I've heard a few sportbike people complain about them and perhaps that's not the best usage for them but for the 750 Vulcan they're fine.

More than likely, yours is that once-in-a-blue-moon lemon.