Motorcycle Repair: timing honda cb350, clymer manual, piston crown

Question
i have been trying to get my honda cb350 up and running with no luck. i ran the beginning of last year great and suddenly died, so i left it alone and am now wanting it again. i took off the points cover and found that the bolts that held the plate in place were missing (i've only owned the bike since last summer). so i'm pretty sure that the timing is the problem. so what i need is how to correctly set it and the gap for the points (which i moved before i found the bolts were missing). thanks for your help.
-Nick

Answer
Nick,
 I'm not sure of what you mean, what are these bolts you are describing?  Are they from the cover or the screws that hold the points assemblies down to the stator cover?
Check for spark on all cylinders before proceding.  It may be best if you replace the points w/ new sets along w/ their condensors, shouldn't be more then $25.  I highly suggest you pick up a Haynes or Clymer manual for your bike.  It will walk you through setting the gap and adjusting the angle, the two critical settings for points too opperate correctly.  Since gaps and timing angles change with each model, I suggest you consult the manual, I don't have specs for every bike.  Also, some manufacurers reccomend setting the angle from the actual angle of the crankshaft and others from the actual distance of the piston crown from TDC.

Hope this helps a bit,
Mike