The bike came in on a stand, fully assembled, with the owner unwilling to pull the engine for what was essentially a cosmetic job. Twenty years of chain fling had built up across the swingarm and the back of the cases, and the usual oil mist had baked onto the headers and the front of the crankcase.
With the motor still in the frame the options narrow fast. Solvent and a brush move the surface grime and push the rest deeper into the case seams and the loom. Pressure washing drives water past bearing seals, connectors and into the airbox. Media blasting is out entirely — anything that does not sublimate ends up in the sump.
Dry ice sublimates. It hits the surface at −78 °C, shocks the contaminant layer loose, and turns straight back into gas. Connectors, the sprocket cover and the open cam cover get masked, extraction sits under the bike, and the only thing left on the floor is what came off it.
Lift chain fling, oil mist and road film off the cases, frame rails and swingarm with the engine in the bike.
Protect the anodising, the cast alloy finish and every factory decal and paint mark.
Keep water and solvent away from bearing seals, connectors and the loom.
Leave a finish the owner can inspect and photograph without a strip-down.
