Motorcycle Repair: yamaha carbs 700 maxim x, vacuum petcock, vacuum system

Question
can i bypass vacume petcock to have gravity to carbs and put on a small on off valve    ''gas is every where''

Answer
Yes. Alot of people willl simply put a plug over the vacuum like and install a non-vacuum petcock. On the other hand, a vacuum petcock is a nice thing to have as you might find out the first time you set out on the bike and forget to turn the petcock. The vacuum system can be repaired. They sell rebuild kits. Also, if the carbs are overflowing gas you have to wonder if the float valves in the carbs aren't leaking too. The operation of the petcock will not fix that problem.