Suspension Kinematics

Hey all you cool cats,

So in anticipation of this years outdoor series and to amp myself to get back on the bike after finishing college, I have been watching old outdoor races on Youtube from the Stewart and Carmichael days; my golden days. One thing that I can't help but notice is just how much more active the suspension characteristics were back in those days. Watching the tops pros such as Windham, Carmichael, Stewart, Reed, etc. their bikes look like they just eat up the track. Almost as if the rider is stationary and the bike just kind of hovers under them. In outdoor races, this can be especially seem at tracks such as Glen Helen, Southwick, and Millville. Now, I realize these guys were on two strokes and due to the lighter weight of the bike, the suspension valving even for a pro could be set up lighter. But, even when everyone went to 450's in 05' their bikes still seemed to just hug the track and not cause too much feedback to the rider. Even in supercross, the suspension seemed more "plush" but not plush as in soft, more along the lines of active? Watching some of the guys come up short on big stuff, the bikes just seem to take it and go. Nowadays it seems like the factory bikes only use maybe 1/4 of the travel on the bike and are very stiff looking around the track. Doesn't appear from a viewer's perspective that the bikes are that comfortable to ride and should you get something wrong, you are going flying...

Has anyone else noticed this watching the old pro bikes compared to factory rides today?