[megaspaz]

You can, but you have to be more careful on unpaved/dirt roads and it’ll probably speed up the wear in your bike. Pick up a copy of David L. Hough’s Proficient Motorcycling. He talks about riding in all kinds of weather, road conditions, etc. It’s considered the benchmark in riding books.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1889540536/bookstorenow57-20

I don’t have a 250cc (riding a sv650s) and the only 250cc bikes i rode were a couple of cruisers at the MSF and a little riding a couple of friends’s ninja250s. Not much of a fan for cruiser class bikes, but the ninjas seemed to be a pretty good ride.
—
If there’s anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now…