Always pleased to hear folks enjoying Cape Breton and the
Cabot Trail. There's a reason why Car & Driver (...maybe Motor Trend) has it on their "Brest Roads to drive in North America" list all the time.
I actually grew up in Cape Breton and spent a couple summers as a bellman at the
Keltic Lodge in Ingonish. I rode a GS500e back then, and LOVED the weekly commute home to Sydney.
It truely is an excellent road to ride. Ridden slowly, the views are magnificent and the riding days relaxed and easily managed. For those turning up the wick, there's more than enough technical riding to keep you entertained.
As with many beautiful places, the height of the summer can see lots of tourists, which means slow traffic at times. Thankfully, the views provided around the trail make it worth the slower pace. With limited passing opportunities, keep a close eye open and be ready to use the power of your FJR.
Folks around the trail are generally open, polite and happy to meet you. Keep in mind, though, to police your stuff and stay alert. While safe to the 99th percentile, it never hurts to lock up your stuff.
With many tourists around, you never know.
My own feeling is the best times to visit the Cabot Trail is in June or September/October. In June, the facilities are all open, the weather (generally pleasant) but tourists light. In the fall, you'll still have tourists, but this is compensated for with the fall colors as the leaves change for the winter - mind the corners if leaves are falling (after windy nights, for example).
It takes about 5 - 6 hours to drive around the entire trail, so a good idea is to plan one full day to ride & explore, with overnight stays in, for example, Sydney (the day before you ride the trail -
Louisbourg is a great way to spend the day before, touring the living history fortress), and then stopping in Baddeck for the night after your riding day on the trail. Warning here - book early as Baddeck tends to fill up quickly. You will also notice higher room rates in Baddeck.
Though I have relocated to the West Coast (Seattle), I still compare all rides and drives to the Cabot Trail as a measure of a truely excellent driver's/rider's road.
Very happy to hear folks on the forum have enjoyed it.