Just a thought Eric, If that's one of the thick felts on the Fork Stem, We think it's a bit on the thick side,
We fitted one some time ago, And found it made it hard to set the bearings right,
It made the steering a bit stiff, After a few miles we then found the steering bearings were too loose !.
I now cut them in half, Same with the old type wheel bearing felts,
Just my thoughts, Good Luck, Bill.