I've had bolts strip at well under the specified torque using a good quality torque wrench; it depends on the condition and cleanliness of the bolt and receiving thread. Have a look at the bolt as it comes out to see if it's brought any metal with it. If so, be very careful putting it back. It's not a bad idea to have a little tooth-brush sized wire brush to give bolts a clean up before refitting.
For most stuff I think I know about how tight things need to be. If doing up a series of bolts I try to get in a position where I can achieve a controlled and repeatable pressure by maintaining a similar hold and direction on the spanner/bar. Some small bolts need a little finger on a short spanner, some big stuff needs to "grunt" tight and even bigger is "grunt and fart" tight. The front sprocket on my DRZ is "nearly sh*t yourself" tight.
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