I'm missing your point.

The bike in the photo has well over 6,000 miles on it. It's been ridden in light snow, sleet, (a lot of) rain, and sun.

I'm completely at a loss as to why anyone thinks Ti can't be painted.

Whether's it's *smart* to paint a Ti bike is another issue. Many owners find that it's better to keep the frames unpainted; that way you don't have any paint chips or scratches to worry about. Mine is painted for a reason that's irrelevant to this discussion.