KTM silently made the change to MRF tyres because of issues in importing the German Metzeler tyres.
The RC 390 recently got a paint scheme upgrade. But along with that, the company has also started using MRF tyres on both the 390 Duke as well as the RC 390 instead of the Metzelers that the bikes originally shipped with.
According to a report in Autocar, KTM silently made the change to MRF tyres because of issues in importing the German Metzeler tyres.
The Metzeler M5 Sportecs that the bikes originally utilised are known to be stickier on the road. The MRF tyres on the other hand are more affordable. The report suggests that the bikes at the dealerships are already sporting MRFs. Whether this will affect the pricing is yet to be seen. Currently, however, the bikes are still being sold at the same price as before.
The KTM 390 Adventure also uses the imported Metzeler brand, but a dual-purpose oriented Tourance set. If the import issues continue, KTM may be forced to use MRFs on the Adventure as well. The upcoming 250 Adventure on the other hand will be using MRF to keep costs low and we could see the same come to the 390 as well.
It is also left to be seen if this change will be permanent but the RC 390 and the 390 Duke now use MRF Revz C1 tyres. Pricing for the RC 390 and the 390 Duke stand at Rs 2.53 lakh and Rs 2.57 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), respectively.