Saw a rider at our last event with a sheared off handlebar mount bolt. He managed to wrestle it to a stop (on a nasty downhill) without crashing. 

I’m not saying it’s a fault and not a freak occurrence but just putting it out for information as the consequences can be serious. 

So one more thing to check from time to time.

Yikes. Was it Darren?

Clamp bolts aside, in my experience it is worth replacing what could be old original bars on twinshock bikes and the like. The original alloy bars on my Cota 247 snapped in an ordinary riding situation when they were only 36 years old, just goes to show they weren't made to last after all.

Tim Thorp on that downhill to section Novice 3. He was minding for Robbie. How he didn't crash I'll never know. I asked if he was alright since he was stopped on the side and he rotated his bars on the remaining bolt to show me where it had sheared off. Scary as ****.

I did look and thought it looks a bit vulnerable. What hardness is the bolt?

I would replace The bolts with ones of a known good quality 

I just got a private message from somebody stating their son's bike snapped two and that it was discussed with the US importer Jim Snell who can recommend better studs. This is very serious as it's a major safety issue and really demands a recall/replacement of these studs if not a redesign of the top triple clamp. As the importer is now aware of the issue he opens himself to negligence lawsuits if he doesn't address this. Of course this is also a risk for TRS.

Are you talking about the bolt that fastens the clamp to the top yoke or one of the bolts that retains the actual handlebar within the clamp ?

The stud that attaches the handlebar clamp to the top triple clamp.

As I've always suspected, the most dangerous part of any motorbike is the nut holding the handlebars. 

Edited October 26, 20178 yr by trapezeartist

Important to know what really took to this bolt failture. (Shear, threads stripped off, overtorque, hidrogen inclusion, fadigue....) not all of them are manufacture fault.

There is a fracture photo? Bolt grade? 

It looked sheared off. I’m not trying to incite trouble. Just that this is such a non-trivial failure that it needs to be put out there. I have a lot of friends with TRS bikes who love them.

I was present when the bolt was removed and inspected. It was a very obvious fatigue failure. The bolt and clamp interface had clear signs it had been loose for some time. 

Rider must accept some responsibility here then as if it had been loose for some time surely something would have been noticed or felt and should have been checked. I once had a loose clamp bolt and could feel something was not right so I went through all th3 bolts until I found the loose one