Cleanning exterior of the engine

I have just finished replacing my tachometer seals on a 82 Kawasaki KZ550C LTD. The previous owner lived on a gravel road and ignored the leaking tach. The front of the engine has a lot of build up from the oil and gravel dust. Is there a product that anyone could recommend to remove this and clean the engine safely?

I like Simple Green. Also Pine Sol and Dawn dish soap used with a soft brissel
brush.

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take it to the car wash and use the pressure hose

I have used Marvel Mystery oil to break up grease and oil. Works amazingly. I like it because it doesn't seem to be as corrosive as some other cleaners. I had a guy at a bike ride suggest trying a hand held steamer to clean the engine. I don't know if it will work or not but I'm going to try it to clean between the fins better.

Nebr_Rex wrote: I like Simple Green. Also Pine Sol and Dawn dish soap used with a soft brissel
brush.

.

+1 to both of these... I'll buy these in the gallon jugs and fill spray bottles for surface cleaning jobs and I've used both as an overnight bath for cleaning my carbs. I mean the Simple Green and the Pine Sol...

Marvel Mystery oil is truly awesome seems to clean very well and leave the original sheen on the engine

for the initial buildup dollar store awesome degreaser (awesome is the name)works very well with a small
shoe brush