Actually, yes, the big four have had more development in off-road than the press will lead you to believe, more than any of the Euro's, all the way back to the 60's.
The first PE's were out in mid 70's, IT's, MR's and Honda had lots of development in their XL 250's in the early 70's, but they had to compete cc for cc, unlike modern day.
The European bike's were just more suited for off-road. They handled better, power was correct for dirt riding, and they were dependable. All the riders with KDX, PE's, IT's that were around my neighborhood back then were always coming into my shop for frame repairs, suspension mods, good tires, Euro bend handlebars, and engine mods to be able to chug around in tight trails rather than hauling on smooth fireroads. These riders bought these because they were cheap out the door, but what they spent on tires, bars, suspension, ect. to make the bike right brought the cost well over a Euro bike's out the door cost.
