I wonder if they were pissed the story didn't run. After all, it was supposed to be positive propaganda to counter all the negative stuff that was already floating around. Here they let these guys tag along and take pics and what not, based on the presumption that they would get to tell their side of the story, or at least paint them in a better light then previous media accounts, and it never gets published.
Ignorence is bliss. Most people in the sixties did not wear helmets. We didn't know better,and didn't have to. Cowboys wore chaps to protect there legs from brush and cactus. I only wore a helmet when I went racing,off road scrambles on a '42 wla. I rode a'39 knuck in '63 and I'm riding a '08 Fatboy now.