Blake Williams, "Bilko" to his team-mates and his fans, might have built a reputation as a lunatic but he is smart enough to know the years of flipping, jumping, twisting and crashing that have wrecked his body cannot last forever.
Williams (23) is one of the star names in the Crusty Demons troupe that performs for the second time at Carisbrook tonight.
For five years he has been travelling the world with the Crustys and competing at freestyle events, carving out a reputation as a likeable larrikin and one of the most gifted motocross artists of the new generation of trick riders.
Like the rest of the riders, he does stuff most average sports fans find mind-blowing.
His latest trick is a cliffhanger backflip, which goes something like this: gain speed, flip the bike upside down, hang vertically off it, regain seat and land safely.
Pushing the boundaries of his body and his 250cc bike comes at a price, of course.
All riders can recite their various injuries in detail but Williams' list - 22 broken bones, three knee reconstructions, internal bleeding, bung shoulder - would take some beating.
That is why, when asked his age, he replies half-jokingly: "Sixty-eight."
He is quite serious, though, when asked if the appeal of thrashing his body might wear off as he gets older.
"It just depends how often you fall off. The more you hurt yourself, the older your body feels. I'm feeling at least 30."
As long as the buzz of competition and creating new tricks outweighed the pain, he would keep riding freestyle, he said.
"For sure. I'll go for as long as my body can handle it."
Williams has had major injuries since turning 20 and has effectively spent half of the past two years recuperating. He is as fearless as any of his team-mates but the knocks have made him feel just a little less bulletproof.
"I definitely need to get my confidence back. I can't do some tricks like I used to do. I'm probably battling some confidence issues and it might take me a while to get into everything again."
Two years ago, Williams delighted sections of the Carisbrook crowd - and possibly disturbed others - when he emerged for the second half of the show wearing an Otago rugby jersey over his leathers.
He would not reveal if he had a similar stunt planned for tonight.
Two years is a long time in an extreme sport and Williams, an X Games bronze medallist, is promising plenty of new tricks for the crowd of 8000 expected at Carisbrook.
Much interest will centre on Cam Sinclair, the double backflip expert, while Williams himself will perform a three-combination move during a backflip.
Other top riders include world No 1 and X Games gold medallist Adam Jones, world No 3 Mike Mason, experienced Australian Matt Schubring and 17-year-old New Zealand star Levi Sherwood.
The Crusty Demons were formed in 1994 and have been performing live since 2003.
The Carisbrook show starts at 6pm. Fans can only sit in the Rose and Railway stands, or stand in a small section of the terrace, but there are plenty of tickets available.
