I had a minor mishap and my 2022 gas gas txt 300 fell on its side. There seems to have been some torque between the wheel and bar as it tweaked the forks such that they were not perpendicular anymore. This also bent the front fender brace where it attaches to the forks. Is this pretty common or did I have something loose? Can I ride without that brace/bracket in place (no worries about no fender, thinking structurally)? Is that brace aluminum so that it is sacrificed instead of damaging the forks or can I replace it with a steel one?

Loosen everything and bring it back into alignment then torque everything back down, odds are there is less damage then you think. Bracket is important in that, you only have a spring in one fork leg, so the only thing keeping the spring side and dampening side lower fork legs moving in unison is the strength of the axle and that fender brace. Align and tighten the fender brace last.

Triple clamps also hold the forks in place/alignment. The fender bracket is toast. It was pretty badly bent and it is brittle aluminum so couldn't really bend it back without it breaking.

18 hours ago, bw123 said:

Triple clamps also hold the forks in place/alignment. ...

That's what I meant by loosen everything.

Gotcha. Yes, I loosened everything, including the steering stem, and got it all lined up no problem.

Still looking for input on how often this happens with trials bikes and whether I can ride without that brace/bracket in place. My enduro bike has no such thing and takes much harder hits, but the triples are beefier.

Also, wondering if that brace is aluminum so that it is sacrificed instead of damaging the forks or whether I can replace it with a steel one.