Dangeruss

I second the Maxima chain wax, been using it for years on both my bikes.

The upper on the 500 is the same part, but suits that bike better. The FZ600 upper will help with the visual balance. ...and thanks! It makes me smile every time I look at it.

The XSR looked good in the yellow/black that Yamaha sold it in, but that one at the top is trying too hard to be something it is not. I don't dislike it, but I prefer to update the '80s Yamahas than retro the new ones. The RZ is mine and the TZ belongs to the friend who sold it to me 25 years ago. Next up it is getting an FZ600 twin headlight upper grafted onto the RZ lower fairing, the only feature of the bike that I have never liked is the square headlight. Also have some stainless pipes for it. It feels like a bicycle compared to the VFR.

You are correct, he does say 'badges', not decals. The Canadian bikes had the raised VFR as well, 'Interceptor' is shown in the parts catalogue, but no part number given. Probably US market, so as suggested, US online retailers would be the way. And the number that I posted for 6th gen decal is indeed discontinued since I bought them last year.

I understood that he wanted a decal that said 'Interceptor', not one that was 'factory correct'. The one I posted is from a 6th gen but is going on an RC51 tail on a 5th gen VFR. The glue doesn't care 😉.

I almost like that better...,

I ordered mine directly through Honda (ie. dealer parts counter).

I ordered this from Honda last year, still available; https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/honda/motorcycle/2008/vfr800-a-interceptor/mark-06-08 Silver letters with a black outline and dark gray shadow. Overall length 230mm.

I've used ST2 on my RZ350 and will be using one on my VFR as it goes back together, works great. Edit; I was referring to their signal cancelling unit, but also tried the brake unit because I had aftermarket rear sets with no brake switch and wanted the brake light to work regardless. You can adjust the sensitivity by changing the angle, I recommend temp wiring in an 'idiot light' on the dash so you can see when it comes on until you are happy with the setup. I will likely add one to the VFR also because it now has rear sets and I don't want to add a pressure switch. Also, the compression braking of a the VFR is an order of magnitude greater than a 2-stroke twin.

...and if you do go that route, loosen the disc bolts, sprocket bolts and axle nut BEFORE you remove the rear caliper so you can use the brake to hold it all from turning.

Mine has around 70k on it as well (kilometers). I did the swingarm bearings too because I had it apart anyway, but they were in good shape and would have been fine with a clean and grease. The seals are cheap, and they protect the bearing, so it would be worth having a look, and just changing the seals if the bearings are good. Compared to any other bearings on the bike the linkage parts live in a pretty crappy environment so it make sense to do it if you are already in there. Pulling the swingarm is a bit more work, I would judge on overall condition whether it's necessary.

I used a fairly new Wera torque screwdriver on mine (the ones AS3 supply with their hoses) seemed bloody tight, but didn't dig into the hose at all so I went with it.

Keep in mind that the bearings are designed so that the spacers locate everything in the correct place when you tighten the axle down. That's why you tighten the bolt on the right end of the axle first and then the clamps on the bottom of the forks. The wheel is located to the right side bearing that seats the outer race against the shoulder, and the other outer race has a more relaxed fit to allow it to locate relative to the inner race. This helps prevent it from being side loaded due to install error, and also due to thermal expansion. The manual tells you to install the right side bearing first for a good reason. Since it is your right side that is loose (assuming you haven't installed the wheel backwards...) I think you are fine using bearing retainer on that bearing as it goes in first and seats on the shoulder. I've used 609 numerous times on industrial and automotive repairs and it works great. If the bearing is flopping around loose and the wheel is wallowed out it won't fix that, but the difference between having to tap it lightly and falling on it's own is very small and not going to affect the wheel running on centre. This is what it is intended for. You don't need much, you don't want it squeezing up the back shoulder and into the bearing. I would clean everything well to be free of oil and wipe a thin film in the bottom of the bearing bore, only where the bearing seats, or you'll just push it all to the bottom anyway and have too much. Leave it to set up, unless you use Loctite primer, before installing the spacer and other bearing. Don't keep driving the other bearing in once it contacts the spacer or you'll undo what you are trying to fix.

All of the parts you mentioned are still available from Honda, I have recently bought them all for my '98. Rather than go to the trouble of replacing the bearings in the eccentric and the sprocket hub I found it wasn't a whole lot more to buy the assemblies. Make sure you get all the seals too if you are replacing linkage bearings. I used a variety of sockets, tubes, heavy washers and long bolts to pull and reinstall all the bearings in the linkage and swingarm. They are quite tight coming out and going in, some light oil and a heat gun helped. The axle lock nut will need replacing, and there is a belleville washer under it that will likely be rusty.

In addition to the above advice, once I have decided that they are not too tight I roll the bike forward (helps to have a slight incline) and grab the front brake hard to see if there is any clunking. If not it's good to go, but doesn't hurt to recheck after a bit if riding to let everything settle in.