[davidc83]

The bike WILL charge a dead battery once you have it started and you dont have to ride it 500 miles-jesus h christ.
I rode my gz250 this past August on a 2500 mile bike trip to Florida. While in Florida, I was checking out some property and the developer pulled up. I hit the kill engine switch and forgot to turn off the key. He took me for a 1.5 hour drive around his properties and when I got bike the battery was 'dead'. It was so dead it would not bump start. I jumped it with a car battery and rode it 20 miles to the hotel doing less than 45mph. After I got to the hotel, I was able to re-start it and have not had any trouble with it at all since.

I have yet to put it on a trickle charger (it is now 16'F outside, overnight it got down to 3'F and it started-being stored in an UNHEATED garage) and I start the bike every 3-4 days and let it idle for 10-15 minutes and guess what-it charges the battery enough so I can wait another 3-4 days=full choke to start and half choke while it idles. I used the same technique last Jan, Feb, and Mar and still no trouble with starting the bike or the battery maintaining enough charge to start (unless I forget to turn off the key). Of course, I do not have any other electronic devices on the bike to draw extra power.

The electrical systems on cars, motorcycles, etc.. have to be able to recharge good batteries at normal speeds, under normal conditions, or govenment agencies would not allow the vehicles to be sold.