COVERED in tattoos and a patched leather vest and riding a thumping motorbike, it's fair to say that Lionel "Grem" Warrington turns heads when he rides past.
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And that's the aim for Grem, who is looking to raise awareness for multiple sclerosis (MS) as he rides down the east coast from Brisbane to Tasmania on his 2000cc Kawasaki Vulcan.
Grem's commitment to raising awareness of the disease stems from his own diagnosis in 2012.
A few days after his diagnosis, his partner of 13 years left him.
He owned a successful fibreglass business too, but the physical and mental symptoms of MS forced him to abandon it.
The following year, he tried to take his own life three times.
"After that I thought there must be a reason I'm here," said Grem.
After researching the disease, he was amazed at the lack of awareness and support for MS sufferers.
"It can affect anyone, anytime, at any age," he said.
"It's non-discriminatory."
He started an MS support page on Facebook and people began to reach out.
"I did it by myself," Grem said of the time after his diagnosis.
"I didn't want to see people go through what I went through."
Throughout his ride, he'll rendezvous with various people that his met both online and in person through his MS support work.
"It's definitely not a holiday," he laughed.
He plans on reaching Tasmania on May 17, which also happens to be the third anniversary of his diagnosis.
Grem is confident that the awareness ride is just the start for him.
"This is just an entr e," he said.
He has ideas about hiring a bus in 12 months time and picking up MS sufferers for a weekend camp.
He's adamant that the awareness campaigning is good for his own health, mental and physical.
"It's a drive for myself," he said.
"I have to keep doing something about this."
