Restructuring Expense (Summary Of Restructuring Plan Reserve Activity Related To 2009 Plan) (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013	Apr. 01, 2012
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring expense	$ 2,938	$ 11,451
2009 Restructuring Plan [Member] | Motorcycles And Related Products [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Balance, beginning of period	5,357	10,089
Restructuring expense	638	6,004
Utilized-cash	1,431	7,515
Restructuring Reserve, Settled without Cash	0	0
Noncash reserve release	(710)
Balance, end of period	3,854	8,578
2009 Restructuring Plan [Member] | Motorcycles And Related Products [Member] | Employee Serverance And Termination Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Balance, beginning of period	5,196	10,089
Restructuring expense	0	323
Utilized-cash	808	1,846
Restructuring Reserve, Settled without Cash	0	0
Noncash reserve release	(710)
Balance, end of period	3,678	8,566
2009 Restructuring Plan [Member] | Motorcycles And Related Products [Member] | Accelerated Depreciation [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Balance, beginning of period	0	0
Restructuring expense	0	0
Utilized-cash	0	0
Restructuring Reserve, Settled without Cash	0	0
Noncash reserve release	0
Balance, end of period	0	0
2009 Restructuring Plan [Member] | Motorcycles And Related Products [Member] | Other [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Balance, beginning of period	161	0
Restructuring expense	638	5,681
Utilized-cash	623	5,669
Restructuring Reserve, Settled without Cash	0	0
Noncash reserve release	0
Balance, end of period	$ 176	$ 12