Starter troubles

[supersquid]

I've been having a little bit with the starter on my bike. I'm a college student so I ride to class everyday and the reliability of my bike is a huge factor for me. Over winter break I didn't get to ride much so when I went to move the bike from my old place to my new apartment it wouldn't start, which didn't surprise me at all because it was a cold Georgia December and the battery has a little right to go dead after a three week riding dry spell. But after roll starting it for a month it started to occur to me that maybe my starter is toast. Also, I've noticed that the head light is super dim. I know that the starter also acts as a little alternator to charge the battery, so that'd explain why the light is getting dim but I need to save juice to provide the spark plug with enough to keep me rolling to class. Is there any advise on replacing the starter and how long I might have until I don't have enough electricity to run anymore? I know on four wheeler starters it's acceptable to take the starter apart and clean the copper a little bit and they work good as new, but is the little GZ250 like that? Is a rebuild kit a good option as opposed to an entirely new starter? It's a 2001 GZ250 with 11k miles on it so I understand that it might be time for a little starter work but has anyone else had similar troubles? Thanks in advance for any help