Small Mercies

Nobody buys a scooter for the hanging hook. Everybody uses it within a week.

The features list on a Mercury two-wheeler ends with a short group of items that read as afterthoughts and behave as essentials. They are on every machine in the range for the same reason: they cost very little and they are used constantly.

Reverse mode

A switch that walks the scooter backwards at a crawl. It exists for one situation — a loaded machine, a tight slot, and a slope — and in that situation it is the difference between a manoeuvre and an ordeal. It is on the EZ and the DLX (LS).

The USB port

A phone is a navigation device now, and navigation devices run out of charge. The port is in the front apron, near the storage, where a cable can reach a pocket. Nothing clever about it. It is simply always there.

The measure of a convenience feature is not how impressive it is. It is how often you would notice it missing.

Storage, and the hook

Under-seat volume on all three machines is genuinely large — a consequence of not having an engine to package. The hook lives in the leg-shield recess and carries the bag that will not fit under the seat, which is most of them.

The buzzer

A security alarm on the EZ and the DLX (LS). It is not a deterrent against a determined thief and we would not claim otherwise. It is extremely effective against a casual hand on the seat in a crowded market, which is the far more common event.