How to safely shrink motorcycle leathers?

[ninja_butler]

I bought a pair of leather Hein Gericke trousers on Ebay (btw, are they actually called trousers? They're not really trousers are they.. but then the're not jeans either and calling them pants seems to be a no-no in the uk..) for £15 + £10 postage and they're in good condition but they are slightly long and baggy on me; not so bad that I can't wear them but it would be nice if I could make them a better fit.

Does anyone have any tips on how to shrink them? I've read conflicting opinions; some people say you can't shrink leather, some say it will make the leather stiff and prone to cracking, some say you can use heat to shrink it and some say dry-cleaning is the best method.

I'm not going to take them to a tailor because there is no point spending £100 having a £15 pair of leathers altered. I was thinking of trying to dry-clean them at home using soap nuts.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100g-Eco-friendly-Natural-Soap-Nuts-Soapnuts-25-extra-free-/150730680921?pt=UK_HomeGarden_CLV_Cleaning_CA&hash=item23183faa59

https://www.ehow.com/how_4886715_shrink-leather-pants.html

[Fifteen15]

Gain weight.
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"Pain is weakness leaving the body, and blood makes the grass grow faster...but I'll wear my gear anyway"

[FBSF]

Pies.

[doggone]

It's funny I bought some a couple of years ago seemed a bit big at the time, but now seem to have shrunk and fit good

You could wear a layer under them, just wearing them will mould a bit to your shape and part of it is just getting used to them.
Legs often get shorter with wear as you get a certain amount of permanent creasing round the knee.
I would avoid any peculiar treatment, any effect would likely be temporary anyway.

[Rogerborg]

You can shrink leather slightly with heat. We're talking paint stripper gun or very hot hair dryer, or extended baking at lower temperatures. This will make it very prone to cracking through, so you'll want to replace the lost moisture with oil, which might make it swell again so all you're really doing is weakening it. Huzzah.

In short: don't bother, or don't expect them to protect you after you've done it.

Alternatively, you can soak melted wax into the hot leather, and produce hardened leather armour. Great for impacts, not so smart if you want to bend your legs.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Jayy]

Mine as fucked. The zip snapped off the jacket down the centre and the zip snapped on the pants round the waist that connects to the jacket. Will cost about £120 to have them done by a leather specialist (also need making smaller round the waist).

Might as well just get some new ones. It's an RST Rift 2 piece by the way, the zips are small and useless.

[stinkwheel]

Put them on, get them soaking wet (I mean properly so the leather itself is wet through, not just the lining). Keep them on until they are dry.

It won't shrink them but they'll crease and conform to your shape which will make them a better fit if nothing else.

Grease/wax/saddlesoap them once they are dry again.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[billytwomirro...]

Regarding the length,just cut them to the length you want leaving a hem to be turned up inside and glued.
As doggone said were denims underneath.

[Pete.]