Ric,
I have experienced a similar thing on a BMW's Bing carb. Re-bending the wire retainer should be fine as long as you're not too brutal. I would also check the float heights are correct whilst you are fiddling about, to save having to disturb the gasket again, should the float be letting in too much fuel in addition to the gasket problem.
I don't know much about your bike but if the gaskets are interchangeable between the carbs, a swap around might also do the business. If the 'bad' gasket leaks on the other carb then it might be time to get the scissors and the Cornflakes packet out again.
