Front wheel install

Hi, after lifting the front tire in place with both Side Collars on each side, I inserted the Axil through. But when I tighten the Axil rode to the otherside (Fork), I'm getting uneven spacing along the side Collars. Depending which way I move the wrench, I get different spacing at the sides of the Collars. If I tighten one way, I get space by one of the side collars. If I loosen the Axle bolt, I start getting space by the other side collar. What am I missing? How do I get both sides to flush with the Fork. Note I haven't replaced the break caliper yet. I was gonna wait to do that till the wheel was in place. But, should I put back the Caliper first before trying to tighten the wheel? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

The procedure should be to tighten the axle bolt to 55 lb-ft. Install caliper and tighten to 22 lb-ft. Lower the wheel to the ground. Apply brake and pump forks a few times. This aligns the forks parallel. Tighten the axle pinch bolts to 16 lb-ft. The procedure is in the owner's manual.

As long as you assembled the side collars correctly, don't worry about what you perceive to be an unevenness. It is normal. Your photo looks just like mine.

Ok... Thanks again.... I'm on it now.

You were right Greg. I found this picture of the NC and zoomed into the front wheel and you can clearly see the intentional space by the Side Collar.

Finished today's project and installed the Gaitors on the forks. Will tighten everything later this week as I am missing an adopter for my torque wrench. Some Pictures below.

The "space" that you are seeing is on the left fork leg. However you will also see that the axle bolt has a shoulder on it to tighten against the spacer. Just ensure that you have the correct spacer on the correct side of the wheel if they are of different lengths. Also ensure that you "centre" the forks correctly after tightening the axle bolt and before tightening the clamp bolt.