I dont want to get cheap on a helment so where do I buy and what kind due I get , to get the best bang for my money? In the DENNIS KIRK book they range from $50-$467, I now high cost dose not mean the best. I want the saftest helment at the best price.

You can buy on line, but you want to select the helmet in person.  A helmet that does not fit comfortable is of no use.  You may have to ride to Syracuse or Rochester to find a selection to choose from.

You are in a Nanny State, so helmet are mandatory, not optional.  The type of helmet is.  IMHO a half helmet, or beanie, is useful for obeying the law and not much else.  If you are getting a helmet for protection rather than legal compliance you'll be wanting at least a 3/4, perferably a full face.  Many magazines have tested them, and *all* DOT helmets are pretty near equal when it comes to protection.  Fit is what really matters, and you cannot try on a series of helmets on line.

Ahhhh Helmets,,the Great Debate. I wont ride w/o one, well, Up & down in front of the house, but not Off on  aride of any consequence..
I crashed a bike & landed on the side of my head, layed my head all the way over to my shoulder. Years later an MRI revealed I had cracked 3 bones in my neck..IF I had been wearing a helmet, it would have been a fulcrum between head & shoulder, & would have broken my neck like a hangmans noose, I would died,

I stuck a bike in the side of a pickup, slid up the side of it, crammed my face into the back of the cab. If I had only been wearing a helmet with a plastic face shield & no Chin Gaurd,,, I shudder to think of the damage I would have suffered..Would I have died or just had my face flattened, teeth knocked out, jaw smashed, etc?? IDK, but it wouldnt have been a "walk Away", which I did. I wear an HJC flip face. The flip up part split my upper lip, 2 stitches worth, the strap shoved into my throat so hard I was still struggling a bit to swallow 3 weeks later, BUT, I walked away, even helped load the bike on a trailer & tie it down. I didnt even go to the hospital till about 6 hours later, because I had a headache..but, w/o that chin bar on the helmet,, the outcome would have been really different.

A look( dang if I know where it is now) at the stats on "Where the helmet contacts things", I once saw a diagram, showing what %age of impacts occur where & the face is a High %age "Impact Zone". I never knew that, but I had already bought the Flip Face, because a guy whgo I respected told me the face shield was really not sufficient in a crash.

But, No helmet kept me from getting killed once,
A helmet kept me from getting at least Seriously injured, maybe killed, once.

Its your life & your choice. I hope you never need the protection you buy & I hope that If you do, you dont regret your choice.
More $$$ can be spent, but the protection offered / dollar spent doesnt go up much. The HJC offers plenty of protection & isnt too pricey. Mine was still usable, all it needed was a visor, but I went & got another, exactly the same model.
Best wishes,,really.

Like others said, try a helmet on in person.  Each brand or model is differently shaped.  New Enough has closeout deals on helmets pretty often: http://www.newenough.com/closeouts/helmets/

That is my closed face helmet that I use in colder weather, buggy days, rainy days or really really really long rides. I like it a lot. It has Velcro on the inside at the chin but no one sells the piece that goes in there around here. It would be nice to help keep a bit more of wind out, not that there is a whole lot to start with.

You definately want to spend some time trying helmets on.  Fitment is vital and not something you can do online.

Once you know how each helmet fits (each brand will fit a little differently) then you can begin to shop on price. Buy it either locally or online, your choice.

I prefer to by mine locally.  That way, if there is a problem, I can deal with them directly.

I have a half helmet and a 3/4 helmet with face shield.  I use to ride a 150cc Chinese scooter that full out could go 52 mph.  Trust me that feels FAST when you are leading with your knees...LOL.

Anyway going down a major road one day at 5:30 in "going home" traffic I rode right through a swarm of honey bees.  They came over and around the truck ahead of me and I thought it was gravel or something at first, but it didn't "settle down".  Then I was in it and tucked my head down as it bounced off the 3/4 helmet like marbles.  When I was through I looked up and thought, 'What was that?', then looked down to see bees on my jacket.

I'm glad it didn't figure it out sooner or I would have probably dropped the bike.  I ...really... like the helmet with face shield now.  NO KIDDING.

-Hal

I got the FF z1r featured in the article.  The price is right, the fit is good.  The vents are ineffective.  In what we call winter, in the morning I have to keep the shield cracked or it will fog.  In the summer, it's open too for cooling.  Although with a fly shield there is enough flow thru to pop the shield open on it's own.  

After 2 years, the fit is not as tight and less sound deadening.