Street Legal Dual-Purpose Bike in Vermont?

I’m planning on buying a Dual-Purpose bike (something like a Kawasaki KLX) for two reasons.

One, it would be easy transportation from my apartment to classes, (it’s about 3 miles).
Two, I’d want to take it off road during the summer for some riding in Upstate New York.

Since I live in NJ during my 4 months of summer, I would easily make use of the bike. My question is whether or not it would be safe transportation during the school year since my college is in Vermont. I’ve done some research on biking on the street during winter and I’ve found some information on heating clothing which looks like a good investment.

FYI, there is a bus available in case of extreme climate so I wouldn’t have to absolutely rely on the bike.

What does Fluther think?