i spent $100 on a snell rated full face hjc helmet before i took my test a year ago. it's nothing fancy, but i was in the same boat you were back then. it worked well enough for me. a little heavy, but i don't know that any other helmet would be any better.

now officially a troll, i guess. used to have a black 96 SE, until it broke down one too many times. now I'm hunting for a motorycle.