Moscow to Nordkapp round trip

[Russki Guzzi]

I’m hoping to make a round trip from Moscow to Nordkapp, then down through Norway, cut across Sweden & Finland, then back to Moscow. I’ve done a fair amount of research, so I’m reasonably clear on where I want to go, but I have quite a few questions. I’d welcome any advice/suggestions on the following.

I’m reckoning on about 4 weeks max for the trip. That roughly breaks down into a week to get from Moscow to Nordkapp, two weeks for the ride through Norway, then a week to get back to Moscow. Does two weeks sound about right for the Norway section? I’d like to leave plenty of time for meandering around.

My route is basically an anti-clockwise circle riding north to south through Norway. Would it be better to ride south to north, or does it not matter?

What are the Norwegian non-motorway roads like? I’d prefer to avoid motorways when possible, but I also don’t want to spend thousands of kilometres on gravel. The bike is a Moto Guzzi roadster, so I’m hoping for sealed roads, something like UK B roads.

Speaking of road quality, has anyone ridden the Moscow - Murmansk highway in the last couple of years? I can’t decide whether to go Nordkapp via Murmansk or ride up through Finland. Everyone says Finnish roads are boring, but Russian highways are also boring and sometimes so bad as to be almost unrideable. If I’m going to be on a boring road, I’d prefer to be at least on a boring road in good condition.

I’m thinking of starting early-mid June since I hear there’s a lot of holiday traffic In Norway during July and August: does that sound good for timing?

The trip will be about 9,000 km and bike might need a service & perhaps even new tyres while on the trip. Can anyone recommend a Moto Guzzi service depot in Norway? I assume it would be in Oslo.

Thanks in advance for any advice.