Russell Sutton’s 14 Cylinder Yamaha XV Radial Engine Meets the Neighbors

New visitors stopping by The Kneeslider recently may not have seen Russell Sutton’s radial engine project before. He’s been working on it in his shed for about 4 years now since we first wrote about it and it’s coming together quite nicely. Just think, a twin row, 14 cylinder radial engine utilizing 14 cylinders and heads from a Yamaha Warrior XV 1700, fitted to a crankcase and internal components designed, cast, machined and fitted, all from scratch. Should make about 500 horsepower or so and he’s building it for the best reason of all, he simply wanted to. I love it.

Russell just sent over a few photos of the engine set up on his trailer for a local festival, sort of chance to meet the neighbors to see what everybody’s been up to. I can only imagine the reactions.

There’s still work to do, the crankshaft and cam plates need to be made, but after that, he should be able to begin final assembly leading to the initial startup. He guesstimates about 18 months before that happens, but every time we see this, it’s further along. Compared to his first radial based on the Honda engine, this one looks a lot larger, and it is.

I just thought I would put these photos out there so you could see the engine out in the sunshine with its shiny bits gleaming, while you think about what he’s done here. I think the view from the side is really impressive. Every time I see it, I feel humbled when I compare it to the things I’ve built. We each have our own talents I guess. Great work, Russell!