We set off at 8:00 a.m. in the rain. This time the weather really meant business. It rained almost continuously until around 12:30 p.m., when we arrived at the Slettafossen Waterfall.
We explored the waterfall from every angle, browsed the little souvenir shop, and then headed back to our motorcycles.
That’s when I noticed something that instantly ruined the moment.
One look at my Moto Guzzi, and my first thought was: “Oh no… flat front tire.”
We tried pumping it up, but the air escaped just as quickly as it went in. There was only one option left: start wrenching.
We pushed the bike onto a proper parking area, removed the front wheel, supported the forks with a few rocks, and got to work.
On a Moto Guzzi California, a flat tire still means real hands-on work. Because of the factory-fitted inner tubes, you can’t simply plug the hole from the outside. The wheel had to come off, the tire had to be removed from the rim, and the tube had to be replaced. Fortunately, we had everything with us: a spare tube, patch kit, tire levers, rim protectors, and all the necessary tools for removing the wheel and brake.
With Matthias’ experience from fixing a few punctures on his road bike, my mechanical experience, and a bit of improvisation, the Guzzi was back on the road after about an hour and a half—even though neither of us had ever changed an inner tube on a motorcycle during a trip before.
As soon as we got moving again, the sun finally appeared. It almost felt as if Norway wanted to apologize for the miserable morning.
We spent the night in a beautiful cabin at Vollheim Camping, overlooking an amazing landscape. Today we made our way farther south and deeper into the Norwegian interior. Neither of us had ever been to this area before, and we were immediately impressed. Quiet roads, very little traffic, and stunning scenery everywhere we looked.
Because we missed a ferry first thing in the morning as it pulled away right in front of us, and because of the unexpected flat tire, we covered only 265 kilometers today.
Tomorrow we continue heading south—hopefully without any more surprises.
