Generally for cleaning you don't have to remove the entire carb. With
an SU you can remove the suction chamber, piston and spring and leave
the carb body attached to the intake manifold. The needle comes out
with the piston and can be a bit tricky to re-insert into the jet in
the carb body until you have done it a few times.

I usually wipe down every thing with carb cleaner or lacquer thinner.
Don't use anything abrasive on the suction chamber or the piston. It's
better to go to a little more effort with the solvents than to mess up
the clearances in the piston/chamber assembly.

Make sure you wipe down the inside of the carb body as well.

As always, read the manual before you start.

Cheers,

Kelley