Theres a soft carbon type bush in the outer cover that gets gauled up with soot from the exhaust. Best way is to hold the valve itself in the vice, flood the endshaft with WD40 etc and keep rotating the end plate around whist trying to lift it off the shaft. I had the same issue a while back on a spare that i bought, took a bit of time and patience but gets there in the end
Valves do come up occasionally but fetch good money. Theres several thats interchangeable too but the early R1 is a fraction longer on the far shaft and would need to be shortened before fitting. YZF750 and thunderace are a straight swap
As for lube, use this stuff. Its miles better than copperslip and lasts longer
When you come to re-assemble, make sure the valve spins freely between fingers....if it doesnt theres a good chance it may be slightly bent (seen this a few times). A bit of selective tweeking sorts it out by using a steel rule across the ends.
If you DO find you need a replacement valve and cant find one, get in touch with creedexup over at EXUP1000.co.uk. He breaks them and sometimes has spares in stock
BTW, where abouts in the uK are you?