NY state safety inspection includes checking the steering for binding or slop (usually checked by simply just grabbing the front brake and rocking the bike back-and-forth), I'd be willing to wager that several other states do too.
Pennsylvania was the same way. Inspection stations pulled wheels to check brake pad thickness and rotors. They'd fail a vehicle if there were rust holes beyond a certain size, or if there was any "protruding metal" (like a torn fender from a crash). They'd fail a vehicle if the headlights weren't aligned properly. Lots of other things could result in a failure, too. All of which, at one time, made for a lucrative side business for inspection stations to sell inspection stickers to customers with clapped out road junk.
