[Sirref]

Generally speaking the consensus on this forum is to stick with the 250 as long as possible as you don't realize how much it has to teach you about riding, specifically cornering and holding momentum, down the line. Learning how to ride a slow bike fast teaches you the techniques you need to ride a fast bike fast too except with less risk involved due to the lower speeds.

I feel as though there is a bike for every rider. Too many riders get lured into the 600ss/1000sb "trap" where they get a bike that's good at going fast but not much else, in comparison to other bikes, and going fast isn't necessarily what you want to be doing on public roads. I see supersports and superbikes primarily as track bikes which is what they were designed to be used as. Also supersports are expensive as hell, ridiculously so. Insurance on one for me would be double what I pay for my truck and 300 combined.

If you feel that the 250 just isn't enough power look into the sv650s. It's a fantastic all around bike that does everything right and provides easily controllable linear power, though significantly more of it than a 250. There are also a large number of mods you can do to them to make them suit the type of riding that you want to do. This is a bike that you really can't go wrong with.

I can also recommend a dirt bike, I've been looking into dirt bikes myself as they're endless fun without needing to push on public roads or go to an expensive track day. Plus they can be had relatively cheap in the first place. Dual sports follow the same vein since a drz400sm can rip it up on the street and in the dirt, ridiculously fun bike.

There's always the option to keep the 250 and invest in your skills at the track, I believe mid-Ohio is the closest track to you and they have a fantastic program for their novice group.