I have a 1996 XR250R and I use it mostly for street riding. I use semi-synthetic 20W50 and change the oil every 3500-4000 km. The bike is at 3200 km since the last oil change, and the oil on the dipstick is still golden yet dark.
Far more important than the oil change frequency is checking the oil properly. Checking the oil on thse bikes is a b*tch and if not done properly might give you either a near-empty reading, leading you to overfill the oil.
Also, when used at high revs for extender periods (on the highway, for example) I believe they use a little oil.
If you don't have access to semi-synthetic then I'm not sure what a good oil change interval is. Probably less than 3000 km, and probably more than what the service manual states, which, as others have pointed out, is aimed at a competitive off-road regime, where you ride less distance for the same time period than on the road.
Hope that helps.
d.
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