87 Vfr 700. crank, no-start after sitting.

Guys, I have an 87 VFR700. has always started well. Recently it started giving me trouble.
after it sits for a bit, it just cranks. no start. I crank it, let off, crank it, let off. I do this about 15 time.
at some point it finally just fires up.
it runs great once started.
I shut it down, and it starts right up again. after I let is sit 30 minutes or more, I end up back to a crank, no-start condition again.
crank it again 15 to 20 times and again it fires up.
The concern is one of these times i'm going to kill the battery and be stuck.

The bike is all stock with 20k miles. looks like new. the only things ive had to change are oil, filter and brakes.
I added drygas hoping I had a water issue from last fill up. This helped the first day and I though I was all set. Then right back to the usual issue.
Anyone have any ideas on this one?

 

Do the fuel problem drill, but first check that you're getting a spark when it fails to start.

Drain float bowls and fuel tank, then use fresh fuel from a busy gas station so it's fresh. Maybe try bypassing the fuel pump relay (check the FSM for instructions) to eliminate that often-troublesome part.

 

Do you have any easy suggestions on checking for spark other than pulling a plug wire, etc?
Usually i'm out riding when it happens.
I'll take a good look at it later, but I figure it's not real easy to get to a plug wire while the tank is on. Maybe it's easier than I think.

Also, where is the relay? this all started after the bike we left in a heavy rain. i'll pull it and check connections.

thanks.

 

So just an update.
Yesterday I started looking for potential corroded connections. I pulled the wire off the coil on the right side of the bike (small little clip on one) and reseated it.
I have not done anything else other than adding the dry gas.
For about 24 hours now, the bike starts right up, first press of the starter button.

I'll chalk this one up to bad gas, or a bad connection on the coil.
but i'll keep in mind what was said about the Fuel pump relay and possibly get one on order.

thanks for your help on this squirrelman.

 

I've eliminated the pump relay on all my Hondas cuz it's not reliable. Just instal the jumper wire and forget about relay problems. Faster starting--especially if the bike hasn't been ridden in awhile-- is a bonus side effect.