“You have to respect the fact he has $2 million in liabilities when he opens each year,” said Dupree, who helps Ballard out every year with logistics and marketing, among other things. (There’s a funny scene in which scantily clad female employees are told what’s acceptable to wear and what’s not.)īallard, who has been running the saloon for a decade, comes across as calm on the surface but is constantly fretting about whether he can make enough money to survive another year. He grapples with employees trying to steal from him (this is a heavily cash business), a motorcycle stunt guy who has a tendency to land in jail and maintaining some level of decorum per local ordinance. Attendance was down the year before and Ballard is worried the economy might throttle them again. In a Facebook Live streamed from downtown Estes Park last week, Ballard announced he'd purchased the property on Elkhorn Avenue that is currently home to Bob and Tony's Pizza - and plans to open a 'boutique distillery.The first episode, which I screened, focuses on the prep work to open the saloon during the Sturgis Bike Rally this past August. While the rally usually attracts around 500,000 people, officials estimate that more than 250,000 people may still show up to this year's festival despite the coronavirus pandemic. STURGIS, SD - AUGUST 07: People cheer during a concert at the Full Throttle Saloon during the 80th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on Augin Sturgis, South Dakota.

(Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)īut Ballard says, unlike what you may have seen at the bar in his reality show, this will be a family-friendly business.

The Full Throttle, in its second year, is only open during the rally. 392973 46: Motorcycles surround the Full Throttle Saloon, which claims to be the world''s biggest biker bar, during the 61st annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, August 11, 2001, in Sturgis, SD. Michael Ballard, the owner of the Full Throttle Saloon, is setting up shop in Estes Park.

(CBS4) - A biker bar infamous for hosting some of the wildest celebrations during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota is bringing its signature brand to Colorado.

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