Its hard not to eventually drink the Austrian kool-aid because the bikes are simply that good, not just the obvious stuff like brakes, engines & ergo's (for most GJ excluded) but also ease of maintenance, after sales support, OEM & aftermarket parts availability, and excellent resale etc.
IMHO, you simply won't go wrong with a KTMHusqaberg. In 2012 I purchased a new GasGas 300EC 2T and while it was a pretty good bike, I still spent most of my time wondering why I didnt pony up the extra $800.00 to buy the one I really wanted, I sold it after one year and bought a Husaberg, this past spring I bought a white one, just because I am familiar with and liked the dealer.
Are the other Euro's Sherco, Beta & GasGas (RIP) good bikes....probably/sure, are they on par with Austrian bikes, I dont think so.
Now if you ask Malcolm about his YZ250FX he'll tell you thats the hottest ticket going...and that fella has rode alot of bikes, for me the newer 350 4T's cant be beat!
Happy selecting
Bikeless....