Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation	The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Harley-Davidson, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (the Company), including the accounts of the groups of companies doing business as Harley-Davidson Motor Company (HDMC) and Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS). In addition, certain variable interest entities (VIEs) related to secured financing are consolidated as the Company is the primary beneficiary. All intercompany accounts and material intercompany transactions have been eliminated. The Company operates in two reportable segments: Motorcycles and Related Products (Motorcycles) and Financial Services. Substantially all of the Company’s international subsidiaries use their respective local currency as their functional currency. Assets and liabilities of international subsidiaries have been translated at period-end exchange rates, and revenues and expenses have been translated using average exchange rates for the period. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in a currency that is different from an entity's functional currency are remeasured from the transactional currency to the entity's functional currency on a monthly basis.
Use of Estimates	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	The Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of 90 days or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.
Accounts Receivable, Net	The Company’s motorcycles and related products are sold to independent dealers outside the U.S. and Canada generally on open account and the resulting receivables are included in Accounts receivable, net on the Consolidated balance sheets. The allowance for doubtful accounts deducted from total accounts receivable was $4.9 million and $4.0 million as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Accounts receivable are written down once management determines that the specific customer does not have the ability to repay the balance in full. The Company’s sales of motorcycles and related products in the U.S. and Canada are financed through HDFS by the purchasing independent dealers and the related receivables are included in Finance receivables, net on the Consolidated balance sheets.
Inventories	Substantially all inventories located in the U.S. are valued using the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method. Other inventories totaling $326.5 million and $247.6 million at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method.
Property, Plant and Equipment	Property, plant and equipment is recorded at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is determined using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The estimated useful lives of each class of property, plant and equipment generally consist of 30 years for buildings, 7 years for building and land improvements, 3 to 10 years for machinery and equipment, and 3 to 7 years for software. Accelerated methods of depreciation are used for income tax purposes.
Goodwill	Goodwill represents the excess of acquisition cost over the fair value of the net assets purchased. Goodwill is tested for impairment, based on financial data related to the reporting unit to which it has been assigned, at least annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. The impairment test involves comparing the estimated fair value of the reporting unit associated with the goodwill to its carrying amount, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, goodwill must be adjusted to its implied fair value.
Long-lived Assets	The Company periodically evaluates the carrying value of long-lived assets to be held and used when events and circumstances warrant such review. If the carrying value of a long-lived asset is considered impaired, a loss is recognized based on the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of the long-lived asset for assets to be held and used. The Company also reviews the useful life of its long-lived assets when events and circumstances indicate that the actual useful life may be shorter than originally estimated. In the event that the actual useful life is deemed to be shorter than the original useful life, depreciation is adjusted prospectively so that the remaining book value is depreciated over the revised useful life. Refer to Note 3 for additional details surrounding the Company's restructuring activities impacting long-lived assets. Asset groups classified as held for sale are measured at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell, and a loss is recognized for any initial adjustment required to reduce the carrying amount to the fair value less cost to sell in the period the held for sale criteria are met. The fair value less cost to sell must be assessed each reporting period that the asset group remains classified as held for sale. Gains or losses not previously recognized resulting from the sale of an asset group will be recognized on the date of sale.
Research and Development Expenses	Expenditures for research activities relating to product development and improvements are charged against income as incurred and included within Selling, administrative and engineering expense on the Consolidated statements of income.
Advertising Costs	The Company expenses the production cost of advertising the first time the advertising takes place within Selling, administrative and engineering expense. Advertising costs relate to the Company’s efforts to promote its products and brands through the use of media and other means.
Shipping and Handling Costs	The Company classifies shipping and handling costs as a component of Motorcycles and Related Products cost of goods sold.
New Accounting Standards	Accounting Standards Recently Adopted In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-02 Leases (Topic 842) (ASU 2016-02). ASU 2016-02 amends the lease accounting model by requiring a lessee to recognize the rights and obligations resulting from certain leases as assets and liabilities on the balance sheet. ASU 2016-02 also requires a company to disclose key information about their leasing arrangements. The Company adopted ASU 2016-02 on January 1, 2019 using a modified retrospective approach. Pursuant to ASU 2018-11, Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements, the Company applied the new leases standard at the adoption date and recognized a cumulative effect adjustment to the opening balance sheet on January 1, 2019. The Company elected the package of practical expedients upon transition that allows entities not to reassess lease identification, classification and initial direct costs for leases that existed prior to adoption. The Company also elected the short-term lease practical expedient that allows entities to recognize lease payments on a straight-line basis over the lease term for leases with a term of 12 months or less. The Company has elected the practical expedient allowing entities to not separate non-lease components from lease components, but instead account for such components as a single lease component for all leases except leases involving assets operated by a third-party. The adoption of ASU 2016-02 resulted in the initial recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities related to the Company's leasing arrangements totaling approximately $60 million on January 1, 2019. The adoption of ASU 2016-02 had no impact on opening retained earnings on January 1, 2019 and is not expected to materially impact consolidated net income or cash flows on an ongoing basis. In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-12 Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities (ASU 2017-12). ASU 2017-12 amends Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 815, Derivatives and Hedging to improve the financial reporting of hedging relationships and to simplify the application of the hedge accounting guidance. The ASU makes various updates to the hedge accounting model, including changing the recognition and presentation of changes in the fair value of the hedging instrument and amending disclosure requirements, among other things. The Company adopted ASU 2017-12 on January 1, 2019 on a prospective basis. The adoption of ASU 2017-12 did not have a material impact on its financial statements. Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted In July 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13 Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (ASU 2016-13). ASU 2016-13 changes how to recognize expected credit losses on financial assets. The standard requires a more timely recognition of credit losses on loans and other financial assets and also provides additional transparency about credit risk. The current credit loss standard generally requires that a loss actually be incurred before it is recognized, while the new standard will require recognition of full lifetime expected losses upon initial recognition of the financial instrument. The Company will adopt ASU 2016-13 effective January 1, 2020 on a modified retrospective basis. Adoption of this standard will impact how the Company recognizes credit losses on its financial instruments. An entity will apply the standard by recording a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings upon adoption. The Company has completed its work surrounding model development, documentation and validation as well as its evaluation of associated processes, data sources, internal controls and policies. The Company is working through its remaining steps for the adoption of ASU 2016-13, which includes finalizing assumptions related to economic forecasts and appropriate qualitative factors and their associated processes and internal controls. The impact of adoption is expected to result in an initial increase in the allowance for credit losses, with a decrease in retained earnings net of taxes. The initial change in the allowance for credit losses at adoption and the ongoing effect of ASU 2016-13 on the provision for credit losses will be impacted by the size and composition of the Company's finance receivables portfolio, economic conditions, reasonable and supportable forecasts, and other appropriate factors at each reporting period. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04 Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (ASU 2017-04). ASU 2017-04 simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating the requirement to calculate the implied fair value of goodwill. Rather, the goodwill impairment is calculated by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value, and an impairment loss is recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the fair value, limited to the total goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. All reporting units apply the same impairment test under the new standard. The Company is required to adopt ASU 2017-04 for its annual and any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 on a prospective basis. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement (ASU 2018-13). ASU 2018-13 amends ASC 820 to eliminate, modify, and add certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and for interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted in any period, for either the whole standard or only the provisions that eliminate or modify requirements. The amendments are required to be applied retrospectively, with the exception of a few disclosure additions, which are to be applied on a prospective basis. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2018-13 to have material impact on its disclosures. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40) (ASU 2018-15). The new guidance requires a customer in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract to follow the existing internal-use software guidance to determine which implementation costs to capitalize as assets or expense as incurred. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2018-15 to have a material impact on its financial statements. In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (ASU No. 2019-12). The new guidance eliminates certain exceptions related to the approach for intraperiod tax allocation, the methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences. The new guidance also simplifies aspects of the accounting for franchise taxes and enacted changes in tax laws or rates and clarifies the accounting for transactions that result in a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020 and for interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2019-12.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Harley-Davidson, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (the Company), including the accounts of the groups of companies doing business as Harley-Davidson Motor Company (HDMC) and Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS). In addition, certain variable interest entities (VIEs) related to secured financing are consolidated as the Company is the primary beneficiary. All intercompany accounts and material intercompany transactions have been eliminated.

The Company operates in two reportable segments: Motorcycles and Related Products (Motorcycles) and Financial Services.

Substantially all of the Company’s international subsidiaries use their respective local currency as their functional currency. Assets and liabilities of international subsidiaries have been translated at period-end exchange rates, and revenues and expenses have been translated using average exchange rates for the period. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in a currency that is different from an entity's functional currency are remeasured from the transactional currency to the entity's functional currency on a monthly basis.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of 90 days or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.

Accounts Receivable, Net

The Company’s motorcycles and related products are sold to independent dealers outside the U.S. and Canada generally on open account and the resulting receivables are included in Accounts receivable, net on the Consolidated balance sheets. The allowance for doubtful accounts deducted from total accounts receivable was $4.9 million and $4.0 million as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Accounts receivable are written down once management determines that the specific customer does not have the ability to repay the balance in full. The Company’s sales of motorcycles and related products in the U.S. and Canada are financed through HDFS by the purchasing independent dealers and the related receivables are included in Finance receivables, net on the Consolidated balance sheets.

Inventories

Substantially all inventories located in the U.S. are valued using the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method. Other inventories totaling $326.5 million and $247.6 million at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment is recorded at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is determined using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The estimated useful lives of each class of property, plant and equipment generally consist of 30 years for buildings, 7 years for building and land improvements, 3 to 10 years for machinery and equipment, and 3 to 7 years for software. Accelerated methods of depreciation are used for income tax purposes.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of acquisition cost over the fair value of the net assets purchased. Goodwill is tested for impairment, based on financial data related to the reporting unit to which it has been assigned, at least annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. The impairment test involves comparing the estimated fair value of the reporting unit associated with the goodwill to its carrying amount, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, goodwill must be adjusted to its implied fair value.

Long-lived Assets

The Company periodically evaluates the carrying value of long-lived assets to be held and used when events and circumstances warrant such review. If the carrying value of a long-lived asset is considered impaired, a loss is recognized based on the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of the long-lived asset for assets to be held and used. The Company also reviews the useful life of its long-lived assets when events and circumstances indicate that the actual useful life may be shorter than originally estimated. In the event that the actual useful life is deemed to be shorter than the original useful life, depreciation is adjusted prospectively so that the remaining book value is depreciated over the revised useful life. Refer to Note 3 for additional details surrounding the Company's restructuring activities impacting long-lived assets.

Asset groups classified as held for sale are measured at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell, and a loss is recognized for any initial adjustment required to reduce the carrying amount to the fair value less cost to sell in the period the held for sale criteria are met. The fair value less cost to sell must be assessed each reporting period that the asset group remains classified as held for sale. Gains or losses not previously recognized resulting from the sale of an asset group will be recognized on the date of sale.

Research and Development Expenses

Expenditures for research activities relating to product development and improvements are charged against income as incurred and included within Selling, administrative and engineering expense on the Consolidated statements of income.

Advertising Costs

The Company expenses the production cost of advertising the first time the advertising takes place within Selling, administrative and engineering expense. Advertising costs relate to the Company’s efforts to promote its products and brands through the use of media and other means.

Shipping and Handling Costs

The Company classifies shipping and handling costs as a component of Motorcycles and Related Products cost of goods sold.

New Accounting Standards

Accounting Standards Recently Adopted

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-02 Leases (Topic 842) (ASU 2016-02). ASU 2016-02 amends the lease accounting model by requiring a lessee to recognize the rights and obligations resulting from certain leases as assets and liabilities on the balance sheet. ASU 2016-02 also requires a company to disclose key information about their leasing arrangements. The Company adopted ASU 2016-02 on January 1, 2019 using a modified retrospective approach. Pursuant to ASU 2018-11, Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements, the Company applied the new leases standard at the adoption date and recognized a cumulative effect adjustment to the opening balance sheet on January 1, 2019.

The Company elected the package of practical expedients upon transition that allows entities not to reassess lease identification, classification and initial direct costs for leases that existed prior to adoption. The Company also elected the short-term lease practical expedient that allows entities to recognize lease payments on a straight-line basis over the lease term for leases with a term of 12 months or less. The Company has elected the practical expedient allowing entities to not separate non-lease components from lease components, but instead account for such components as a single lease component for all leases except leases involving assets operated by a third-party.

The adoption of ASU 2016-02 resulted in the initial recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities related to the Company's leasing arrangements totaling approximately $60 million on January 1, 2019. The adoption of ASU 2016-02 had no impact on opening retained earnings on January 1, 2019 and is not expected to materially impact consolidated net income or cash flows on an ongoing basis.

In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-12 Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities (ASU 2017-12). ASU 2017-12 amends Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 815, Derivatives and Hedging to improve the financial reporting of hedging relationships and to simplify the application of the hedge accounting guidance. The ASU makes various updates to the hedge accounting model, including changing the recognition and presentation of changes in the fair value of the hedging instrument and amending disclosure requirements, among other things. The Company adopted ASU 2017-12 on January 1, 2019 on a prospective basis. The adoption of ASU 2017-12 did not have a material impact on its financial statements.

Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

In July 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13 Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (ASU 2016-13). ASU 2016-13 changes how to recognize expected credit losses on financial assets. The standard requires a more timely recognition of credit losses on loans and other financial assets and also provides additional transparency about credit risk. The current credit loss standard generally requires that a loss actually be incurred before it is recognized, while the new standard will require recognition of full lifetime expected losses upon initial recognition of the financial instrument. The Company will adopt ASU 2016-13 effective January 1, 2020 on a modified retrospective basis. Adoption of this standard will impact how the Company recognizes credit losses on its financial instruments. An entity will apply the standard by recording a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings upon adoption. The Company has completed its work surrounding model development, documentation and validation as well as its evaluation of associated processes, data sources, internal controls and policies. The Company is working through its remaining steps for the adoption of ASU 2016-13, which includes finalizing assumptions related to economic forecasts and appropriate qualitative factors and their associated processes and internal controls. The impact of adoption is expected to result in an initial increase in the allowance for credit losses, with a decrease in retained earnings net of taxes. The initial change in the allowance for credit losses at adoption and the ongoing effect of ASU 2016-13 on the provision for credit losses will be impacted by the size and composition of the Company's finance receivables portfolio, economic conditions, reasonable and supportable forecasts, and other appropriate factors at each reporting period.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04 Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (ASU 2017-04). ASU 2017-04 simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating the requirement to calculate the implied fair value of goodwill. Rather, the goodwill impairment is calculated by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value, and an impairment loss is recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the fair value, limited to the total goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. All reporting units apply the same impairment test under the new standard. The Company is required to adopt ASU 2017-04 for its annual and any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 on a prospective basis.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement (ASU 2018-13). ASU 2018-13 amends ASC 820 to eliminate, modify, and add certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and for interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted in any period, for either the whole standard or only the provisions that eliminate or modify requirements. The amendments are required to be applied retrospectively, with the exception of a few disclosure additions, which are to be applied on a prospective basis. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2018-13 to have material impact on its disclosures.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40) (ASU 2018-15). The new guidance requires a customer in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract to follow the existing internal-use software guidance to determine which implementation costs to capitalize as assets or expense as incurred. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2018-15 to have a material impact on its financial statements.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (ASU No. 2019-12). The new guidance eliminates certain exceptions related to the approach for intraperiod tax allocation, the methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences. The new guidance also simplifies aspects of the accounting for franchise taxes and enacted changes in tax laws or rates and clarifies the accounting for transactions that result in a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020 and for interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2019-12.