Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Statement of Cash Flows [Abstract]
Net cash provided by operating activities (Note 2)	$ 1,146,677	$ 977,093	$ 801,458
Cash flows from investing activities of continuing operations:
Capital expenditures	(232,319)	(208,321)	(189,002)
Origination of finance receivables	(3,568,423)	(3,244,005)	(2,858,701)
Collections on finance receivables	3,013,245	2,831,994	2,768,089
Purchases of marketable securities	0	(4,998)	(4,993)
Sales and redemptions of marketable securities	41,010	40,108	23,296
Other	1,837	16,355	0
Net cash used by investing activities	(744,650)	(568,867)	(261,311)
Cash flows from financing activities of continuing operations:
Proceeds from issuance of medium-term notes	991,835	0	993,737
Repayments of medium-term notes	(526,431)us-gaap_RepaymentsOfMediumTermNotes	(27,858)us-gaap_RepaymentsOfMediumTermNotes	(420,870)us-gaap_RepaymentsOfMediumTermNotes
Repayments of Senior Debt	303,000us-gaap_RepaymentsOfSeniorDebt	0us-gaap_RepaymentsOfSeniorDebt	0us-gaap_RepaymentsOfSeniorDebt
Proceeds from securitization debt	847,126hog_ProceedsfromSecuritizationDebt	647,516hog_ProceedsfromSecuritizationDebt	763,895hog_ProceedsfromSecuritizationDebt
Repayments of securitization debt	(834,856)hog_RepaymentsofSecuritizationDebt	(840,387)hog_RepaymentsofSecuritizationDebt	(1,405,599)hog_RepaymentsofSecuritizationDebt
Borrowings of asset-backed commercial paper	84,907	88,456	200,417
Repayments of asset-backed commercial paper	(77,800)	(78,765)	(24,301)
Net increase (decrease) in credit facilities and unsecured commercial paper	63,945	371,085	(744,724)
Net change in restricted cash	22,755	43,201	41,647
Dividends paid	(238,300)us-gaap_PaymentsOfDividends	(187,688)us-gaap_PaymentsOfDividends	(141,681)us-gaap_PaymentsOfDividends
Purchase of common stock for treasury	(615,602)	(479,231)	(311,632)
Excess tax benefits from share-based payments	11,540	19,895	13,065
Issuance of common stock under employee stock option plans	37,785	50,567	45,973
Net cash used by financing activities	(536,096)	(393,209)	(990,073)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(25,863)	(16,543)	(8,886)
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents	(159,932)	(1,526)	(458,812)
Cash and cash equivalents:
Cash and cash equivalents—beginning of period	1,066,612	1,068,138	1,526,950
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents	(159,932)	(1,526)	(458,812)
Cash and cash equivalents—end of period	$ 906,680	$ 1,066,612	$ 1,068,138

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Amount of currency on hand as well as demand deposits with banks or financial institutions. Includes other kinds of accounts that have the general characteristics of demand deposits. Also includes short-term, highly liquid investments that are both readily convertible to known amounts of cash and so near their maturity that they present insignificant risk of changes in value because of changes in interest rates. Excludes cash and cash equivalents within disposal group and discontinued operation.

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