Disc brake tab out of spec
 

On my commuter bike, a Kona Dew Plus, I have recently noticed something odd with the brake pads on the front disc brake (Avid BB7). The top of the brake pad doesn't make any contact with the rotor, with about 1.5 mm on the top of the pad still having unused material while down below it has gotten some wear. To see whether it is just the brake itself that is the problem or something else, I tested to see if other brakes I had laying around would have the same issue or not, and they have the same issue too, with pretty much the same amount of space on the top of the brake pad that is not making any contact with the rotor since it is down below. With that in mind, the top I.S. tab on the fork is out of spec. My question is how to deal with this. Should I use a file inside the top tab to file down the required space so that the whole brake pad covers the braking surface, or is this a good time to replace the fork? The bike itself is over 2 years old now, with the warranty expired as well. While I didn't notice this issue before, since I didn't pay attention, the vibrations from the front brake is what led to the discovery of this apparent manufacturing error.

Any ideas?

What size rotor are you using ?
Your not using a 180mm adapter with a 185mm rotor are you.

I'd probably just file the required amount off the top of the brake adapter, where the calliper is seated.

On a commuter bike, a 160 mm rotor is good enough for me.

If yours is the K2 with the P2 alloy fork, I have little doubt that if there is an manufacturing defect Kona will replace it. Otherwise I would ask if you are using the OEM discs; different brands are designed around different pads.