Originally Posted by
BCRider
But that obvious rip in the threading and hole you can see light through is the kicker. Now THAT seems like the keyed washer could have caused that damage. There even appears to be some form of stretch damage that finally snapped or wore through where the hole is located.
The hole probably just eroded through the keyway, which is thinner than the surrounding metal. Many fork manufacturers tried to save money by building only a couple sizes of forks. The threaded section and keyway would be much longer than necessary, allowing the steer tube to be trimmed to accommodate a range of sizes.