With regard to the ticket getting amended to speeding if contested, more experienced WA members can correct me if I’m wrong but I just don’t see that happening—maybe elsewhere but not here. What will happen is that the judge will simply weigh the officer’s affidavit with whatever testimony the defendant offers, and the officer will NOT attend. In any case, a discovery request for the officer’s report certainly won’t trigger anything negative and the OP can still elect to pay the fine anytime before the hearing.
I agree that simply paying the fine might well be the most practical option, but I certainly would not regard it as a “gift” or a “break”. Probably they issue a lot of these “inattention” tickets simply to discourage anyone from contesting. In my case a few years back for the place and circumstances under which I was stopped, I would not have been willing to pay even a nickel without fighting (but that’s just me).

