Originally Posted by
orcas island
Thank you all for your thoughts about this situation. I will pull the fork tomorrow after work and take some photos of what I discover
Before you remove the fork, test the head-set to see if there is any "play" when pushing the bike back and forth while engaging the front brake. If there is "play", adjust the headset just enough to remove it.
Then, with the front wheel, handle-bars and front caliper removed, spin the fork 360 degrees. Does it spin smoothly or does it bind?