Leaking oil in fron to tires you rely on to stay upright.... that would be a Bad Thing. This is why oil leaks are outlawed on racing circuits. Same with anti-freeze.
First thing I would suggest, is for you to download the shop manual for your bike here.
That should show you the proper sequence to install the cover you have taken off. It should also mention if you need a gasket -- you can check that on the parts breakdowns posted on most motorcycle parts websites as well.
The pattern you should tighten the bolts that hold the cover on in, should be in a 'star' pattern so you don't warp the cover as you install it. The warping is what makes it hard to get a good seal. If you just go clock wise around the cover you will 'push' a small gap around the cover as you tighten it. No matter how tight you make the bolts, the gap will just keep moving around ahead of tightest point. This is how most people end up stripping out threads, damaging bolts, and still having leaks.
A non load bearing cover is not going to require very much force to seal, if you follow a torque pattern as you hand tighten the bolts. The manual should list the amount of torque needed -- it's probably in the inch-pounds range. Very easy to exceed that with a standard 3/8's socket wrench. The 1/4' setups reduce the amount of leverage you have available so you are a bit less likely to damage the bolts of the engine cases. If you do not have a torque wrench avaialable to you, only tighten the cover bolts enough to do the job. More tighter is not more better.
